All Was Well
by HecateA
Summary: Slice of life drabbles in which everyone lives, and by everyone I mean Remus and Tonks—who get to teach at Hogwarts, crack cold cases, and raise their son.
1. Youngest Student

**Author's note: **Listen, life is hard and there's no serotonin left in this economy. Sometimes you just need your favourite characters being cheesy in an Everyone!Lives AU, so here we are. I'm also not marking this as "complete" because I might add more chapters and snippets as I need to make things warm-and-fuzzy in my soul.

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Shipping Wars; Hogwarts; Not Commonwealth

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Brush; Seeds; Homeschooled!; Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Family); Themes & Things B (Innocence); True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; Short Jog; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Representation(s): **Metamorphmagus Tonks and Teddy; werewolf Remus

**Bonus challenge(s): **Second Verse (Middle Name); Chorus (Bee Haven)

**Tertiary bonus challenge: **NA

**Word Count: **1361

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Nymphadora Tonks/Remus Lupin (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Summer Medium 1 (Tower/High rise)

* * *

_**Hogwarts Submitting Info**_

**House: **Ravenclaw

**Assignment: **Assignment #2, Career Advice #2 Write about a child's pre-Hogwarts education

* * *

**All Was Well **

He'd gotten through a surprising amount of work by the time the knock came to his office door. His wife didn't wait for an answer, which Remus was thankful for, given the sleeping boy curled up on him. She let herself in and scoffed at the sight of them before he could even look up from the essay he was dotting with checkmarks and comments.

"Hey," he said quietly to avoid waking Teddy. "What are you doing here?"

"Sting went surprisingly well—you know how it is, old Death Eaters, they make mistakes… I got let go early," Dora said, easing the door shut behind her.

"And you decided to come here instead of taking the night to yourself?" Remus asked.

"I wanted to see my boys and make good use of the fact that the Aurors are the only Ministry personnel with direct lines to Hogwarts," she said.

"Not to mention McGonagall's open-door policy," Remus said. "You're always welcome here."

She slipped her Auror robes off and crept closer—something about spending more time around a sleeping child had made her much, much better at being quiet over the last few years, and maybe even a _little _bit agile. She leaned over the sleeping Teddy and kissed him quickly.

"I'll get you a chair," Remus said.

"No, no," she whispered back, pulling up her purple hair into a bun, exposing the row of rings and studs along and inside her ears. "I've been in the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower often enough…"

She had, and so she made herself at home and carefully lifted a chair closer—shockingly without dropping it or slamming it against his desk.

"Tell me about your day," she said, brushing at Teddy's wispy teal hair with her fingertips. He didn't stir. "What did you guys get up to?"

"Well, I let him have waffles for breakfast, so we got off to a really good start," Remus said. "We sat next to Flitwick, who turned his food different colours to match his hair the whole time, stretching out the breakfast-eating process by about half-an-hour…"

"Good, good," Dora nodded approvingly.

"We took a walk around the lake after," Remus said. "I was secretly meeting with a student to talk about a research project the whole time, but he was running ahead and picking up sticks so he didn't notice. He also did a great job at helping this student with their anxiety by initiating a really important conversation about lizards."

"Good job Teddy," Dora whispered to the sleeping boy, who still didn't stir.

"Then we were going to go visit Hagrid and the new litter of Nifflers that he's raising, but McGonagall needed an extra teacher to go to Hogsmeade with the students because she got whisked away to the Ministry," he explained. "So we went down to the village…"

"How much candy did you give him?" Dora cut.

"Such accusations!" Remus said.

"There's no way you went to Hogsmeade and resisted going to Honeydukes, and there's also no way that you resisted this child asking you for candy," Dora rationalized, crossing her arms but smiling nonetheless.

"I will admit that there was candy involved," Remus said. "How much, I will not disclose."

"You won't disclose?"

"That's between my son and I," Remus said. He kissed the top of the little boy's head and couldn't bite back a smile when he looked up again and met Dora's eye.

"Did you make him promise not to tell Mum?" Dora asked.

"I would never tell him to lie to you," Remus said. "But he was encouraged to keep this to himself."

"Right," Dora grinned. "He's a chatterbox, you know he can't."

"Well, I was hoping you'd both be at home when he spilled the beans," Remus said. "And by the time my next chunk of time off came around, you'd be so happy to see me again that you wouldn't bring it up."

Dora laughed. "Really? Is that so…"

"Yes," Remus smiled.

"Someone thinks highly of himself," she said, leaning forward to kiss his nose before leaning back in her chair. She swung her legs up so they rested on his knees. "Okay: so you fed our son a nondescript amount of candy in Hogsmeade that I will learn about later but forgive you for. What next?"

"We had lunch at The Three Broomsticks," Remus said. "We shared a chip butty. Madam Rosmerta brought him out a butterbeer."

"Wow. Good day to be Teddy."

"Very good. We ran into a study group while we were there and they pulled me aside for a quick recap on Grindylow life cycles. Teddy told them all about the one in your mother's backyard pond, and they loved it. It's like he's a little celebrity around here," Remus said. His hand was running up and down Teddy's arm absent-mindedly. "We went to Zonko's, and then to the pet shop to laugh at the fish. We sent Grandma a postcard from the post office, went to try out all the quills at Scrivenshaft's, and then he picked out some books from the stacks at Pendragon Press and we sat in the back to read stories…"

"He loves that," Dora said with a smile.

"His reading's getting really good," Remus said. "For his age, he's really good…"

"I barely get a word in when we read bedtime stories," Dora said. "And he narrates trips to the superstore like you have no idea. He wants to practise to make his dad proud."

Affection for this little boy swelled up in his chest.

"We did manage to visit the baby Nifflers too—Hagrid brought them up for us before dinner," Remus said with a smile. "He's decided he wants one."

"Did you delegate the task of talking him out of that to me too?" Dora asked.

"No, we went over why Nifflers aren't very good pets," Remus said. "We learned a lot about them, there was a book in the library that had quite nice pictures. Also, he wanted breakfast for dinner."

"That's because my son understands that breakfast is a state of mind, not a meal," Dora said.

Remus laughed. "After dinner, I took a patrol for McGonagall and he came with me. He loved running into students, chatting with the portraits, betting on which staircases would move… I may have shown him a secret passage or two, so if he starts looking for them around the flat, don't worry about it."

Dora laughed. "I don't think any other child has spent this much time getting to know the castle before even enrolling..."

"We came back here after because he wanted to colour. I started grading and and he fell asleep…"

He peered at the clock on his wall. "Wow. About three hours ago, now. Probably should have gotten him to bed…"

"No, he got his cuddles in this way," Dora said.

"He did," Remus said. "Jealous?"

"I'm here now," she smiled.

"I'm happy you are," Remus smiled. He reached out and took her hand. "I miss you two everyday when I'm overnighting at the castle, but when he sleeps over… I wish he'd never leave."

Dora smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Obviously we'd love to have you at home," Dora said. "But I can't even tell you how excited Teddy gets when I tell him I'm working nights. He loves it here. He loves the castle. He loves the things he learns here. And he loves you."

Remus smiled. Teddy stirred in his arms.

"Mama?" he whispered.

"Hi baby," Dora said, swinging her legs down and moving to crouch down so she was eye-level with Teddy. She pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Did you have a good day at Hogwarts?"

"Yeah," Teddy mused. "Are you gonna bring me home? I promise I'm learning lots here..."

"No, no," Dora promised. "Tonight's time with daddy, Mama just came to visit too."

"Good," Teddy hummed. "Can I stay with you and Daddy?"

"Of course," Remus said quietly. "Let's go get some sleep."


	2. Lucky Buyer

**Author's note: **So glad we're all on the same page about needing fluff. Here's more; originally written for Hogwarts' Drabble Tag, where I had to work off the prompt "Charity Date Auction." Feel free to leave me prompts in the reviews, anonymously or not!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**2\. **

**Lucky Buyer**

"Honoured guests, thank you so much for coming out tonight and helping our Aurors support St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries…" Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister for Magic, told the crowd in attendance.

Sirius leaned over and whispered to Remus. "You're really doing this?"

"Of course I am," Remus said.

This was the first time he had any kind of disposable income, for starters—and his penny-pinching habits from before he'd rejoined Hogwarts' faculty meant he had quite a bit of it, actually... Not to mention that he still had quite the sum left over from his pack's successful discrimination lawsuit against the Department for the Control and Regulations of Magical Creatures, even after putting the bulk of it away in a savings account for Teddy.

Besides; his wife had turned her hair a lusciously wine red shade, put on the black boots she fondly called her "man-stomping heels" (he agreed), a little black dress, and a blazer. Even if he hadn't been plotting ever since the fundraiser had been announced, his decision was made now.

He patiently bid his time until Kingsley got to her.

"Next up is Auror Nymphadora Tonks Lupin, a veteran of the Wizarding War specializing in long-term tracking and infiltration projects—most recently bringing down an illegal dragon egg trafficking ring twice the size the Bureau anticipated."

A round of applause picked up and he saw Dora smiling on the stage, though she stood straight with her hands clasped behind her back. He knew how much that case had worked on that.

"We can start the bidding at 25 galleons," Kingsley said.

"50 Galleons!" someone in the room called.

"50 Galleons for the witch in the back," Kingsley said. "Do I hear 75 Galleons?"

"75 Galleons," Remus called.

Dora made eye contact and her eyes popped. She cocked her head to the side and bit down on her lip.

Kingsley grinned. "75 Galleons for the wizard in the back left corner…"

"90," a completely different wizard yelled out.

"110!" the same witch chimed in again.

Remus grinned. "150!"

"Merlin," Sirius scoffed. "Give others a chance…"

The bidding continued until Remus called out: "375!"

"375 Galleons," Kingsley grinned. "Going once… going twice… Sold, to the gentleman in the back left corner!"

There was another round of applause. Dora looked at him across the room and shook her head, before shaking Kingsley's hand when he reached out and walking offstage to come join him. She sat on his knee, an arm around his neck.

"375 Galleons to St. Mungo's?" Dora asked with a smile.

"It's a good cause," Remus said. "I'm especially fond now that they've got that Lycanthropy Ward set up."

Dora smiled.

"I thought you didn't mind if I participated in the auction and went on a date with some random rich buyer," Dora said.

"I didn't mind," Remus said. "I just figured that it would be a shame to waste one of your precious nights off on some random rich buyer when I could fill in… Sirius here agreed to babysit Teddy."

"I did?" Sirius asked.

"Well, Harry's busy on a date of his own," Remus said, nudging his head towards the stage where the remaining Aurors waited.

"Such a good cousin," Dora said. Then she turned back to him. "Such a good husband."

She gave him a peck on the lips before waltzing away and back towards the Auror's table at the front of the room.

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Shipping Wars; More Like Guidelines

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Seeds; Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Family); Themes & Things B (Joy); True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Representation(s): **Everyone Lives!AU; DADA Professor Lupin

**Bonus challenge(s): **Hot Apple; Second Verse (Middle Name); Chorus (Odd Feathers)

**Tertiary bonus challenge: **NA

**Word Count: **571

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Nymphadora Tonks/Remus Lupin (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Spring Medium 1 (Charity Date Auction)


	3. The Tiniest Healer

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #6, Religious Education Task #3, Write a fic about a small child (5 years or younger)

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Tiny Healer **

Between Andromeda, Harry, and Sirius there was usually someone who "just happened" to desperately want to bring Teddy somewhere or do something with him on the day after the full moon.

Remus had been around long enough to know that this was no coincidence at all, but he also knew that resistance was futile and accepted the help quietly and thankfully. This June, however, through a series of unlikely events, none of Teddy's usual guardians were available.

"I'll take the day off from work," Dora promised, looping her arms around his waist a week before the full moon and snuggling into him.

"No, don't worry," Remus said. "It's summer—I'm not at school, I'm the one responsible to watch Teddy…"

"And don't you think I miss him?" Dora teased. "Quit hogging the five-year-old."

Remus had been married long enough to know not to fight his wife when she made decisions like these. That was, after all, why she was his wife in the first place.

Wolfsbane Potion was still difficult to secure during the summers, namely because one of its ingredients had been nearly eradicated during the last Wizarding War. The return to full-blown transformations after a school year of harmless metamorphoses and sleepy days as a wolf was even more painful and difficult every time it happened. When it was done, he dragged himself back home and gulped down as much water as he possibly good, threw up twice, took his pain relief potion once his stomach had settled down, pulled on fresh and soft clothes, wiped the blood off his face, and crawled into bed.

Dora was sitting up, waiting for him as per usual while still giving him space to compose himself. She took a second to look him over—checking for any injuries, making sure that his bad shoulder hadn't dislocated itself again—before kissing his head and letting him sleep, swinging her legs out of bed to start her day.

Remus fell asleep nearly as soon as his head hit the pillow. He woke up desperately thirsty a few hours later but the closed curtains and quiet flat gave him no indication of how much time had passed—nor did he care. He managed to sit up straight, drain the glass of water he'd left on his bedside table, and then crashed again.

When he woke up again, it was because of a shift in the mattress. At first, he wondered if this was Dora coming back to bed at the end of the day, seeing as she worked in the morning and all. Then he realised that the shift was much too small…

He cracked his eyes open just in time to see a tiny shadow crawling across the sheets and sitting up on his wife's pillow. Then, Teddy reached out and put a hand on Remus' forehead, as if he was checking for a fever. Really, he was probably just mimicking something he'd seen grown-ups do a thousand times…

"Hey Teddy," Remus managed to say. His voice was cracked and parched after hours of quiet and sleep.

"Daddy you okay?" Teddy asked quietly.

"I am," Remus promised him. "Just tired. Where's Mum?"

"She's making dinner," Teddy said. "It's gonna be dino nuggets and macaroni."

"Lucky you," Remus said. Two favourites in one day; Dora really hadn't been kidding when she'd said that she'd pull out all the stops during her day off.

"Mama said you'd be sleeping still but I can share," Teddy offered.

"That's very kind, but no thank you," Remus said.

"You gotta be sick if you don't want dino nuggets," Teddy said, worried again. Remus couldn't help but smile. "Do you want medicine?"

"I don't think that it will help, but thank you," Remus said. "I'm just tired."

"Like sleepy?"

"Yes, like sleepy," Remus said. He reached out and ran a hand up and down Teddy's arm. "Daddy's just tired and sleepy sometimes, okay? It's just something that happens."

"Okay," Teddy said. "Me too?"

"No," Remus said. He couldn't help but crack a smile as he said it. And that smile somehow made up for how spontaneous and unprepared for this conversation Remus was.

He had never been sure how he would one day explain to his son what and who he was. He'd known he'd want to do it before the rest of the world put ideas in his head, yes. He'd known that he wanted it to come from him. But there was no real rule for where and how and why one should explain this to their child. What was too young? Remus had been younger than Teddy was when he'd been bitten, after all. And what was the right way to do it? How many details were too many details, and what was not enough?

Remus should have known that his clever and caring little boy would bring this up and make this conversation happen naturally.

"You and I are a little different," Remus explained. "Daddy has something in his body that makes him a little different."

"Yeah, you can't make your hair blue," Teddy reminded him. That was a great point of confusion for Teddy.

"Among other things, yes," Remus smiled. "But mainly it means I get sick sometimes. Once a month, do you remember what that is?"

"A bunch of days."

"Very good," Remus said.

"That's sad," Teddy said.

"No," Remus said. "No, it's okay. I'm always going to get better and feel better and be okay."

"Always?" Teddy asked.

"Always," Remus said. "I feel better because you're here already. You're the world's best Healer."

"Okay," Teddy said. Then he lay down in bed next to Remus and snuggled into him. "Okay, well then I'll stay."

"Oh, Teddy, don't worry, that's not what I meant…" Remus said. "You should go back and see if Mum's done making dinner for you."

"Nah, it's okay," Teddy said. "You and I can have dino nuggets later."

Remus smiled at that and pulled Teddy closer. The little boy's hands knotted themselves in his sweater and pretty soon, Teddy fell asleep against him too. He was a very suggestible napper, especially when cuddles were involved—one of his many wonderful qualities.

He didn't quite doze off again after that, which was why Dora found him awake when she came in eventually.

"Sorry," she said quietly, creeping closer, her face mostly obscured by shadows. "I told him that you were probably sleeping, but he must have worried…"

"That's okay," Remus said quietly. Dora leaned forwards and, holding her hair back, kissed his forehead before sitting on the edge of their bed. She rested one of her hands on his hip, her thumb running in circles.

"I told him," Remus said. "A little bit. I hope that's okay. I know we talked about how maybe you should be there, but… it just happened."

"That's okay," Dora said quietly. "And?"

"And what?"

"What did he say? How did he react?"

"Just like his mother once did," Remus said. He reached out and put a hand on top of Dora's. "Which, with every passing day, I am more and more thankful for."

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Nymphadora Tonks/Remus Lupin (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Fall Micro 2 (Shadow)

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Shipping Wars; Hogwarts; Fall Bingo; Hangman

**Individual Challenge(s): **Small Fry; Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Summer Vacation; Seeds; Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Family); Themes & Things B (Innocence); Themes & Things C (Pillow); Tiny Terror; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; Short Joy; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Word Count: **1184

* * *

**Fall Bingo **

**Space address (prompt): **4B (Gratitude)


	4. Big Kicks

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #7, Zoology Task #3, Write about a family

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Nymphadora Tonks/Remus Lupin (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Fall Big List (Sharing a Bed)

* * *

**Big Kicks**

Remus was just about to roll over and reach out into the dark to blindly throw an arm around his wife when—

"Oh," Remus said when he accidentally grabbed a fistful of hair instead.

"Careful," Dora muttered.

"I thought he was on your side of the bed," Remus said apologetically.

"Yeah, _was," _Dora mumbled. "He gets around, you know."

"As the man who chased him down when he decided to make a break for it at the Burrow today, trust me, I'm aware of how deceptively fast those little legs are," Remus said.

"So many words, so late at night," Dora grumbled.

"Sorry," Remus said. He readjusted and made another shot at reaching out to put an arm around Dora when the little ball of heat that had crawled into bed kicked him square in the stomach.

"Oof—"

"You okay?" Dora muttered though she didn't sound all that interested.

"He's _strong," _Remus complained. "How are his tiny legs so strong?"

"He's always been like this," Dora said. "Just be thankful that he's not coming at you from the inside, where you keep all your organs..."

"You have my full sympathies for that," Remus said.

"Mmm," Dora said. "It's okay. Wasn't that bad. I'd do it again."

"Hmm," Remus said. Then he actually registered those words and what they meant because, yes, that was how words worked. He pushed himself back and leaned on his forearm.

"Really?" he asked.

Dora made an inaudible and barely human sound.

"Do you mean that?" Remus said. "You'd do it again?"

At that point Dora seemed to also remember how basic communication worked because she also flopped over to face him. For the beat that she was quiet, he could feel her taking in her own words and reconsidering them. She reached out to grab her wand and produced a quick _lumos _that cast a faint light on their bedroom—on her face, on his, on the little boy who had crawled into bed. They had their favourite blanket thrown over them, a log house quilt that Molly had made, and their favourite human being laying perpendicularly between them, taking more room than the pair of them combined.

She propped her head up on her hand and seemed to ponder this.

"I don't know," Dora said. "That's just a thing I said, but I'd… I'd do a thousand and one things for that little boy, making him from scratch is the least of it all."

"Right," Remus said. "Of course… but would you do it again? Have another baby?"

"That I don't know," Dora admitted. She rubbed at her eyes and then looked down at Teddy. "I'm sure it'd be easier to have a baby when it wasn't, well… and we'd know that he'd be healthy."

"We would. I'd be better," Remus said.

"I know. Besides, our kid is pretty great. He's like running a marathon. It's like motivation, you know? To run another one, to..." Dora mulled it over for a second. "Should we make another? You know, double the joy."

Remus laughed quietly. "I… we've never talked about this."

"We never had to, Teddy just _happened. _I know kids were never the plan but we made one and he's kind of addicting."

"He is," Remus said. It made the next thing he said less crazy. "We could have another."

"We could," Dora said. "I mean, I'm on track to be Head Auror at the moment… and you make time to come home and bring him over to the castle as much as you can, but you're busy too. The timing's a bust. Then again, Teddy was born in a war, so what do I know about standards?"

"What do we know," Remus echoed.

Dora ruffled Teddy's hair. "Sometimes I worry that he'll be lonely. I mean, were you lonely as an only child?"

"I would have been lonely anyways," Remus said. "You?"

"No," Dora said. "Big family, lots of cousins, made friends at school easily…"

"You would," Remus said. "Well, we occasionally release him unto the Weasley clan which will inevitably quadruple."

Dora smiled. "That's true… we've already given him a family. We have a family."

"We do," Remus smiled.

Teddy kicked him again.

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Shipping Wars; Hogwarts

**Individual Challenge(s): **Black Ribbon; Black Ribbon Redux; Small Fry; Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Brush; Seeds; Tiny Terror; Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Family); Themes & Things B (Joy); Themes & Things C (Blanket); True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Word Count: **700


	5. Weddings Are Hard

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Dedication: **For Elizabeth, who upon reading an earlier chapter and seeing Sirius alive and well in this magical AU, inquired if Sirius and Kingsley would be babysitting Teddy. I'll do you one better :P

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #8, Foreign Exchange Task #9, Write about having a magical 'mutation' of sorts.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Weddings Are Hard **

"You look super handsome, little guy," Uncle Sirius grinned at Teddy. He reached out an arm and Teddy wandered over to him in his tiny little suit. It was dark blue and the tie was silvery and sparkly, so Victoire would probably like it when she saw it. He wasn't sure if she was coming to the wedding, but it seemed to Teddy that _everyone _was coming to the wedding and who would he talk to if Victoire wasn't there? Surely Uncle Sirius and Kingsley had known to invite her…

"I'm gonna match Mum and Daddy?" Teddy triple-checked again.

"And Harry and Bill," Sirius nodded, scooping up Teddy and plopping him on his knee.

"You'll see once Madam Malkin finishes up fitting your mum's suit," Kingsley said. He reached out and picked at Teddy's collar. "Sirius is right Teddy, you're going to be one very handsome ring bearer."

"But I won't look like this," Teddy promised them.

Uncle Sirius and Kingsley looked at each other for a minute.

"What do you mean you won't look like this?" Sirius said. "Is something wrong with your suit?"

"Weddings are special occasions," Teddy said, repeating what Daddy had told him that morning when he'd explained why they were all going to wear suits and ties and why they were going to pretend to enjoy that. "So we gotta look special."

"You do look special," Kingsley said. "You're wearing a suit…"

"Yeah but turquoise hair isn't _special," _Teddy said. "Turquoise hair is just Tuesday and Thursday."

"You live in a really special little world, you and your Metamorphmagus genes…" Uncle Sirius said fondly, tousling Teddy's _turquoise _hair.

"I don't know what that means," Teddy said.

"One day," Sirius promised with a smile like he was about to tease Teddy or steal his cookie. He was wearing eye-liner too, and Mum always said that that made him extra-sassy. He'd also been extra happy ever since Kingsley had given him that extra ring.

"What colour am I gonna make my hair for your wedding?" Teddy asked Kingsley and Sirius.

They looked at each other and smiled before turning back to Teddy.

"That's… a really good question," Kingsley said.

"What colour is Mum doing?" Teddy asked.

"I'm not sure. Probably pink," Kingsley said.

"Does she even know it's a special occasion?" Teddy checked. Sirius burst out laughing.

"We tried to tell her, but you know your Mum…" he said.

"Yeah," Teddy nodded. "Okay, well, _I_ listened. What colour do you want?"

"Whatever colour you want to wear," Kingsley told him.

"You can pull off anything," Sirius promised him.

What were these people not getting?

"_You _have to pick!" Teddy insisted.

Goodness, this was getting very complicated.

"I'm not getting married, you are!"

"That's true, we are," Kingsley nodded. "Can you maybe show us some options?"

At that moment one of the people dressed in purple that was often around Kingsley (Mum called them "Ministerial Assistants") came into the shop, even if she had been waiting outside.

"Pardon me, sir," she said, tapping her quill against her clipboard. "Word just came in from the Department of Transportation that…"

"It can't be an emergency if it's transportation," Sirius said. "And today's for wedding planning unless of emergency."

"He means 'please give us a little bit more time,'" Kingsley said, elbowing Sirius. "We have another consultation, apparently one we didn't need an appointment for..."

The administrative person gave a little bow (they were funny like that) and went away.

They turned back to Teddy.

"Okay," Sirius said. "We're ready. Show us our options."

So Teddy showed them all the options that would be pretty with the suit and tie they were making him wear—lime green, emerald green, magenta like Mum's favourite, white like snow, white like snow with flecks of gold, dandelion yellow, mustard yellow, soft yellow like his bedroom, pastel pink like Victoire's favourite dress, orange like all the other cousins, purple like the Ministry robes, peach like Grandma's bathroom…

"Well?" Teddy asked them. "Which one did you like best?"

"We like all of you," Sirius said. "That's why you're in the wedding party."

"This isn't helping," Teddy said. It was Kingsley's turn to laugh.

"You're right, Uncle Sirius isn't helping," Kingsley grinned. "Sirius, what did you think of that nice green colour?"

"The Slytherin green?" Sirius asked with a smile. He kissed Kingsley really quickly, like the type of kiss Dad called a peck. "It's like you read my mind. Teddy, do you think that you could do an emerald green for our wedding?"

"That's an excellent choice," Teddy said—which was what Madam Malkin said when they picked out suits and ties in her shop.

"Thank you," Sirius said. "This is a great wedding present you're giving us, Teddy."

"I don't have to get you a present now that I'm doing the hair thing?" Teddy said. "Oh good!"

Weddings were far too complicated for his liking.

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Shipping Wars; Hogwarts, Fall Bingo

**Individual Challenge(s): **Black Ribbon; Black Ribbon Redux; Small Fry; Gryffindor MC; Slytherin MC; Rainbow Focus (Y); Bow Before the Blacks; Brush; Seeds; Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Love); Themes & Things B (Joy); Themes & Things E (Evening Gown/Tux); Tiny Terror; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion (Y); Real Family; Flags & Ribbons; Letter of the Day; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Word Count: **818

* * *

_**Fall Bingo**_

**Space (prompt): **E5 (Change)

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Sirius Black/Kingsley Shacklebolt (Starry Storms)

**List (Prompt): **Summer Big List (Shopping)


	6. Playing Owl

**Author's note: **Anyways, I started listening to Christmas music because of who I am today. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #8, Anatomy and Physiology Task #2, Write about traveling with something important.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Playing Owl **

A little-known fact about the Hogwarts Express was that it made its trip back and forth from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade year-round. Of course, it was never as packed as it was when the school opened and closed—nor was the trolley lady around, as Dora unfortunately learned. She'd been surprised to find out about the train's year-long commuting as an Auror, but it made sense. How else was a little town like Hogsmeade supposed to sustain its bread-and-butter tourist industry after all?

Anyways, armed with this knowledge she figured that Teddy would get a real kick out of taking the train down to the castle. And sure enough; she had been right. When she'd let him sleep in that morning and he'd walked in on her making waffles, he'd been confused at first. But when she'd told him that if Daddy had to work over the holidays because of staff shortages, then they were going to go to the castle and join him… well, that big and nearly toothless smile of his had given her the first big reaction of the day. Now, she couldn't wait to see Remus' face. McGonagall had okayed the project and promised to keep it quiet, and as far as Dora knew Remus had no idea that they were coming… but she couldn't wait.

She was being a bad mum and had snuck candy in Teddy's activity bag on the train, but he was so excited about seeing his Dad on Christmas after all that he'd barely touched it—or any of the colouring books and stuffies she'd also packed. Excited, and a little bit worried.

"Hey," she said, touching Teddy's knee. "We can put Daddy's present in my bag so that you don't have to hold it…"

Teddy shook his head decisively, which sent today's lilac hair flipping and flopping around. Her little hooligan had been on a kick of shaggy hairstyles recently, and he always made Dora think of a dog trying to dry off.

"Nope," he said. His arms actually tightened around the package in his arms, wrapped in red paper and golden ribbons. "It's too important."

"I know it is," Dora said. "But it won't break if we put it in your bag."

Teddy looked at her suspiciously.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah," she promised. "How come you're so worried about it, sweet pea?"

"Usually the owls bring Daddy presents and letters at school," Teddy explained to her. "But now it's my job and I just wanna make sure I do a good job."

She bit back a grin—Teddy was a very serious child, he didn't like to be laughed at. She wondered where he got _that _from.

"Sometimes owls take breaks when they deliver packages, especially heavy ones," Dora said.

"Even when they're important?"

"Yup," Dora promised. She held out her pinky and Teddy hooked his own tiny finger with hers.

"I just want Christmas to be perfect," Teddy said.

"It will be," she said. "You'll see Teddy; Hagrid and the elves decorate the whole castle… and they make food that's nearly as good as Grandma Molly's."

Teddy's jaw dropped.

"Do they make pudding, too?"

Dora clucked her tongue and tousled his hair.

"More than even you and your father together can eat," she promised. She put an arm around Teddy and pulled him closer. "Icicles start dripping from all the nooks and crannies outside, you'll see the biggest Christmas trees you've ever seen… And we'll be all together, right?"

"Right," Teddy said. He huddled the package closer to him and then cuddled into her. She kissed the top of his head.

"That's all that matters, then," she said. She kissed the top of his little head. "Daddy's going to love your present Teddy, but I promise that he and I don't need anything more than that to be happy."

"Me too," Teddy agreed. "But if Santa still comes, that would be okay."

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Hogwarts

**Individual Challenge(s): **Black Ribbon; Black Ribbon Redux; Small Fry; Hufflepuff MC; Brush; Seeds; Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Love); Themes & Things B (Joy); Tiny Terror; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Word Count: **650


	7. Old Homes

**Author's Note: **Enjoy!

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #9, Beauty Therapy Task #10, Write about letting go of something

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Old Homes**

He and his son had established a system—one scoop of leaves for the yard waste bag, another scoop for Teddy's pile. It was the only way any kind of work was going to get done, and even that was a stretch.

"Is this big enough?" Remus asked after dumping more leaves on the small mountain they'd been nurturing.

Teddy examined the pile and then looked around the woods, as if to assess how many more leaves were at their disposal. He turned back to Remus and nodded solemnly.

"Alright," Remus said, lowering the rake and backing up. "Off you go, then. Make sure to get a good running start this time—last time you said starting at that tree wasn't good enough…"

Teddy backed up even further and then pulled down the burnt orange toque over his ears in preparation.

"Ready?" Remus asked.

"Ready!" Teddy nodded. "Can you count down for me?"

Remus grinned and leaned on his rake.

"One… two… three!"

As soon as he said the words, Teddy bounced off into a sprint, launched himself into the air, and landed smack in the middle of the pile. He sent the orange, yellow, and red leaves flying, which prompted the always honest and always good-to-hear laughter of his mother.

Remus turned around to flash Dora a smile just as she walked out of the cottage, equally bundled up in the face of autumn and just as vibrant as its leaves. She'd coloured her hair a dark burgundy that seemed to fit the scenery.

"How big was that jump?" Teddy inquired, drawing Remus' attention back to him.

"Definitely a 10," Remus said. "Out of 10."

"I want an 11!" Teddy said.

"Well, we're going to have to give it another go," Remus said. "Are you up to helping me build up the pile again?"

Teddy got to work and Dora chuckled again. One of her arms snaked around Remus' waist.

"No wonder you've gotten nearly no work done out here," she commented.

"I've been sneaking some of the leaves away, clearing the pathway to the cottage," Remus defended. "Though to be honest, it's more important to make sure that the pipes are clear and that the fireplace is cleaned out. Then there's covering the chimney, getting to any small fixes, cleaning out gutters, making sure the roof is fit for winter…"

"I know," Dora said. "We've prepped the cottage for winter before."

"Sorry," Remus said. "Just going through the motions of it."

He hadn't used to have to do this before. Back when he was living in the Yorkshire cottage year-round, that was. When his mum had passed, the Muggle life insurance had given Remus just enough to buy the run-down cabin—which he had immediately done after James and Lily had passed away and Sirius had been hauled off. He'd been fighting with the cottage to usurp its seemingly natural inclination towards collapse and shambles ever since. It had been like a hobby, back in the days when he'd been largely alone and usually unemployed, to try to keep the roof from falling on his head.

Now, Teddy called it "little house," but they didn't really spend much time there. It was virtually empty—the few items and pieces of furniture that had been in any fit shape had moved into their London flat or to Remus' quarters at Hogwarts years ago now, and there hadn't been much. A few quilts were now resting on his bed at Hogwarts, and he was quite certain that Dora had smuggled her favourite teacup away and was keeping it on her desk in the Auror's office, but Harry refused to confirm this. That was all, to be quite honest.

"Why do we still prepare it for Winter?" Dora mused.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked, sliding one of his arms around her shoulders as she spoke.

"I mean, the cottage," Dora said. "Why do you still have it? I don't mind—I don't mean—I'm not saying anything. It's just that it's not being used at the moment, is it?"

"I suppose you're right," Remus mused. "It really isn't."

They watched Teddy experiment with various ways to grow his pile of leaves—kicking them into place, gathering them in his coat…

"I suppose it just didn't occur to me that I wasn't using it," Remus said. He gave her shoulders a squeeze. "That I don't need it, that it's from a different time in my life, that I have another home now…"

Teddy was now using his toque to ferry leaves to his pile.

"Edward Remus Lupin, put that hat back on before your ears freeze," Dora called out.

Teddy put the hat back on so quickly, he forgot to take the leaves out and they fell onto his face. Remus laughed.

"And my mother said I'd be too lax of a mum," Dora scoffed. "See that? That was me striking the fear of Merlin right into my son's heart!"

"I saw," Remus said. He kissed her ear.

He had something better than a home, actually, he had a family. That was essentially a portable home, from what he could tell. One that he could carry with him wherever they went and within whatever four walls they found themselves. They could probably make do in the pouring rain, if they had to. But they didn't.

"We could come here more often," Dora said. "Teddy likes climbing the trees, and it's far enough in the middle of nowhere that the Aurors might have trouble tracking me down for work…"

Remus gratified her with a smile, though he was still mulling it over.

"Actually…" he mused. "I think I should sell it."

"I wasn't trying to suggest it," Dora clarified immediately. "You don't have to."

"I know, but I can," Remus said. He kissed the top of her head. "I can because I've got you, and so I will."

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Hogwarts; Shipping War; Fall Bingo; Solemn Husbandry of Exultation

**Individual Challenge(s): **Black Ribbon; Black Ribbon Redux; Small Fry; Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Fall Leaves; Seeds; Times Go On; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Family); Themes & Things B (Joy); Tiny Terror; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Representation(s): **Lupin family

**Bonus Challenge(s): **NA

**Tertiary Challenge(s): **Terse

**Word Count: **979

* * *

_**Fall Bingo**_

**Space (prompt): **5D (Rake)

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Fall Medium 1 (Leaf Pile)


	8. Worry Wart

**Author's Note: **Enjoy!

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #9, Write about a child/teenager caring for a parent.

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Worry Wart **

In times like these, Teddy wished that he could borrow Jamie's invisibility cloak—but his cousin was usually up to his own trouble. It was also just as risky to sneak his way to the Gryffindor Common Room as it was to sneak into the Defense Against the Dark Arts hall. Besides, ever since he'd been hauled to McGonagall's for taking Leo Flint's features and sneaking his way in, the Fat Lady was out to get him and had most of the school's portraits helping her cause.

Teddy just hoped for the best, as he did every month, and reached his father's office undetected. He knocked on the door once, twice. As he paused before knocking again, he wondered if maybe his dad had gone off to see Madam Pomfrey—if maybe something had gone wrong with the Wolfsbane potion or if he'd hurt his bad shoulder while transforming again… then the door opened and there was Dad. He looked worse for wear, as he usually did, but Teddy's relief outweighed his concerns.

Well, mostly. Even with the Wolfsbane that came with his teaching contract during the school months, Teddy couldn't help but notice that the transformations seemed to take more of a toll every time. He wasn't sure what either of his parents would say if he brought it up, despite their usual policy of honesty. Even Harry or Uncle Sirius may keep things hushed…

The weight on Dad's shoulders seemed to lift for a moment when he noticed it was Teddy, and then he tried to be strict again. Still, Teddy couldn't help but notice the way he wrapped his cardigan closer to himself as if he was cold or holding something that hurt...

"Edward Remus Lupin," he said, trying to sound stern. "It's barely twilight, curfew is still in effect…"

"Yeah, you better let me in," Teddy said.

"Now you're simply being flippant. What would your Head of House say?" Dad scoffed.

"I just wanted to check in, I…"

Then Teddy heard it. The tell-tale whistling of Peeves zipping his way towards them. He could tell Dad heard it too, because he stepped back and ushered Teddy in. The door closed before the poltergeist arrived.

"You know you can't do this, Teddy," Dad said.

"I just wanted to check on you," Teddy said. He reached out and held his hand to his father's forehead—still feverish; something about the internal temperature of wolves and their coats made this happen..? Teddy didn't really understand.

"Teddy, I am fine," Dad said. "All I need is some rest."

"Sit," Teddy agreed. "I'll make tea. You said last year that it was soothing…"

Dad looked like he wanted to argue, but then a wave of fatigue seemed to hit him. Guiltily, Teddy realized that he must have gotten up and rushed over to the door quite quickly. He slipped an arm around Dad and nudged his head towards the sofa. Dad's quarters at Hogwarts were rather barren, but the sofa by the fireplace, facing his desk and bookshelf, was comfortable.

For a moment, Teddy thought his father might fight him, but then he allowed Teddy to help him to the sofa.

"Thank you," he said, sinking down into the cushions. He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Teddy threw a blanket over his lap. "You need to go; Headmistress McGonagall or Madam Pomprey may be here soon."

"I've got time to make you tea," Teddy said. "Why's the fireplace empty?"

"I was just getting to that," Dad explained.

"Let me," Teddy said. "Flitwick showed us a new spell the other day…"

"There will be no experimenting with fire magic at this time," Dad said.

"Fine. Matches?"

"Teddy, I'm alright," Dad said. "You can't do this every time I transform."

"I hear it's monthly," Teddy said as he circled back to go fiddle with the kettle. Dad had enchanted it so that it would heat its own water, sort of like a Muggle one, for convenience's sake. "Something about a bite?"

"It's for fun, actually," Dad said. Teddy grinned as he retrieved a teabag from the box and got everything ready. In the corner, Teddy saw the pile of blankets that he'd always assumed was where Dad slept when he was turned into a wolf.

"Biscuits?" he asked.

"I'm not quite ready to eat yet. Also, you need to go back to bed."

"Okay," Teddy said. He scooped some sugar into the cup preemptively. "Do you need another blanket?"

"Edward Remus…"

"Remus John," he said. He turned back to look over his shoulder with a smirk on his face and sure enough, Dad was smiling back—completely against himself.

"You're impossible," Dad said. "What did I say?"

"Not to worry every month," Teddy said. "But you're my only Dad. I have to take care of you; how often doesn't change that."

Dad's face softened for a moment and then he smiled.

"Well then, come sit with me," Dad said. "Being a wolf for hours on end gets lonely. Tell me about your day—I know I missed a Quidditch game…"

"Oh yeah, Slytherin beat Ravenclaw into next week," Teddy said. As he described how spectacular the loss had been, he put another cup on the countertop. Then he went to join his father on the couch.

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Hogwarts

**Individual Challenge(s): **Cuppa; Black Ribbon; Black Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Seeds; Times Go On; Old Shoes; Location, Location, Location; Themes & Things A (Family); Themes & Things B (Joy); Theme & Things C (Blanket); Themes & Things E (Cardigan); True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Word Count: **882


	9. Close Call

**Author's Note: **Enjoy!

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #9, Beauty Therapy Task 9, Write about someone who feels like they can't breathe.

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **Serious injury; hospitalization

* * *

**Close Call **

Remus felt as if he was hovering outside of his body as he walked into St. Mungo's, framed by two Aurors. They showed their identification and waved away the Healer at the reception. They brought Remus straight through, though he didn't quite hear what they said.

He hadn't heard much since McGonagall had summoned her to his office and he'd seen the two Aurors there. He hadn't heard much, the things he saw didn't quite register, the air he breathed didn't reach his lungs, and his entire body felt both too tense and too weak to move. A horrible taste reigned in his mouth, however, and he felt as if a sword might be hanging over his head too.

They brought him up to the fourth floor and then into a waiting room where Teddy was sitting on the floor under a Healer's supervision, playing with blocks. When he heard them come in, the little blue-haired boy turned his head.

"Dadda!" Teddy said.

"Teddy, sweetheart," Remus said dropping to his knees just in time to catch his son in a hug. He buried his face in the little boy's shoulder and held on tight. His heart started beating again, but Remus still didn't feel like he could breathe.

He pulled away to sort out how Teddy looked.

"He's only been here about an hour," Healer said. "It was bad timing—with the Minstry's daycare closing…"

"Thank you," Remus said. He'd just said two words, but he felt as if the little air in his chest had gotten knocked right out.

He kissed Teddy's hair and ran his hands up and down the little boy's arms to try and calm himself down. "Were you… were you playing with those blocks? Was it fun?"

"Mr Lupin?" one of the Aurors said. "They're ready for you, but you can't bring the boy."

"I'll watch him a moment longer, I have time," the Healer said.

"Thank you," Remus said. He turned back to Teddy. "Can you go back and play for a little bit?"

"Is Mama going to come play with me?" Teddy asked him. Remus felt like he was too short on air to answer. He kissed Teddy's hair instead.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Remus said.

"Okay," Teddy said.

He got up again, his legs feeling about as solid as spaghetti under him as he stepped out to meet the Healer waiting for him. To Remus' shock, it was Amelia Johnson—she'd been in seventh year the first time Remus had taught at Hogwarts. He had written her a letter of recommendation to get her into St. Mungo's training program.

"Hello, Mr Lupin," she said. "I don't know if you remember me…"

"Amelia," he said. "No, Amy, you prefered Amy—I'm sorry."

"No, not at all," Amy smiled. "I'm your wife's Healer, today—right this way, I can update you while we walk… She was brought in a few hours ago with severe crush injuries after taking several curses to the chest and falling off her broomstick during a high-speed chase… she fractured her pelvis and wrist, and hit her head rather hard. We had to control some internal bleeding in her abdomen when she arrived as well."

"Okay," Remus said. He gulped. "Okay and what, umm, what was she hit with?"

"We don't know," Amy said. "We can't tell what curse it was, it's not something we've seen before, but it… it had some necrotic properties to it before we managed to contain it."

"Oh God," Remus said. "Oh God, and she's..?"

"She's stabilized," Amy said. "We'll be waiting a little longer to tend to some of her injuries, to make sure that there's no infection or any other compromise to her heart and lungs. She's been in and out of consciousness, but it's been a difficult few hours and it will be a difficult night."

"Okay," Remus said. "Okay. Does that mean that she… that she won't…"

He could have been sick.

"It means that it will be a difficult night, Mr Lupin," Amy said. "We've done everything that we can and from here on out, we don't know."

Remus knew what he had to do now. Take a deep breath to calm himself down. Take a deep breath to clear the voices in his mind telling him to expect the worst. But he just couldn't do it. All the air he could have been breathing was gone.

"Sir, would you like to see her?" Amy asked.

"Of course, please," Remus said. "I—I would."

"Okay," Amy said. "Okay, this is her room…"

Remus stood in the door frame for a few seconds. He'd never actually seen a private room at St. Mungo's before; he'd been told they were kept for the extremely severe cases. Against the white hospital sheets, Dora's telltale magenta hair stood out even more than it usually did.

"Dora?" he asked.

She didn't turn to him, but he did see her hand twitch and heard something muffled.

Immediately he was by her side. He wanted so badly to reach out and touch her but he had idea which part of her was safe—which part of her wouldn't be hurt more by even the slightest caress of his fingertips. She looked… she looked in bad shape. Her chest was heavily bandaged, her hips and legs were stabilized by metal structures, one of her wrists was encased in plaster, and there was a nasty cut on her face that was dangerously close to her eye. It was still uncovered—it baffled Remus that that was the least of the problems the Healers had had…

"Can I stay with her?" he asked. "I mean, I have to send her mother an owl, and ask my son's godfather to take him for the night, but after…"

Amy hesitated for a moment but nodded. Remus wondered for a split second if he might get his old student in trouble before realizing that he didn't care.

A few hours later, she brought him a blanket—which was sweet of her, even if he had no intention of sleeping. Whenever a Healer came in to check on her, take some measurements, and leave a note on her chart, Remus straightened up to watch. But all he could do was watch her chest rise and fall, thankful for what it meant and distinctly aware that his own chest tighter than he imagined possible.

Amy came in again in a new set of Healer's robes, her ponytail on a different side of her head, water recently splashed over her face.

"Amy?" Remus asked.

She gave him a smile, but even she wouldn't tell him anything.

This was his worst nightmare. It had nearly happened at the Battle of Hogwarts; it had nearly happened a thousand times before. He and Dora had met in dangerous, volatile circumstances. Her career had never been a secret. But this…

He'd been pacing the room and stopped, turning to look at her sleeping form.

"Come on, Dora," he said, sitting at the foot of her bed. "I can't do this without you. Don't make me do this without you…"

She didn't stir and he went back to pacing. He knew his eyes were dry, he knew his muscles were tired and weary, he knew his body ached for food or water—but he didn't feel any of it. The only thing that mattered was the circles he was pacing around the room, because at least that was something, whereas sitting there and watching her… watching her what? Was she dying?

He was back in his visitor's chair, watching over her, when her eyes fluttered open at around 6:37 a.m.

"St. Mungo's?" she muttered before her eyes even focused.

"Yes," Remus said. His heart beat anew. "Yes, Dora, you're in St. Mungo's… You were hurt, but the Healers are working hard. They've got you. I've got you."

Dora smiled when she saw him.

"Remus?" she said, though her voice was slow and slurred. "Remus I'm okay I told them to tell you that I was okay…"

He let go of the breath he'd been holding.

Finally he could breathe again.

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Hogwarts; Shipping Wars

**Individual Challenge(s): **Black Ribbon; Black Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Seeds; Times Go On; Old Shoes; Doctor, Doctor, Give me the News; Themes & Things A (Love); Themes & Things B (Survival); Theme & Things C (Blanket); True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Word Count: **1353

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Fall Micro 2 (Flight)


	10. Everyday Celebrations

**Author's Note: **Enjoy!

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #10, Ritual & Ceremonial Magic Task #2 Write a fic with the setting of a celebration of the light winning the war.

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Everyday Celebrations**

Remus couldn't help but smile when he noticed the tears gathering in his wife's eyes. He reached over and put a hand on her knee, leaning towards her.

"I told you that this would happen," Remus whispered.

"Oh, shut up," Dora whispered back. Remus' smile split his face just a little bit more and he reached into his pocket and took out the handkerchief he'd brought along because, again, he'd told her that this would happen.

Dora gave it a look before accepting the offer and dabbing her eyes with it. She scooted over a little closer to Remus before refocusing her attention to the front of the room, where Head Healer Rohan Laghari was finishing up what was, overall, a very well-written speech about the power, hardships, and rewards of being a Healer and the strength of today's graduating class.

Said graduating class was sitting rows and rows ahead of them, clad in sky blue Healer's robes for the first time. Andromeda had claimed a spot for herself in the rows reserved for retired Healers, who wished to attend the ceremony. To the side, Remus saw that Harry had successfully managed to get himself in the room on some absolutely phony pretext of Auror business. He'd smuggled in Victoire Weasley as well, even if she was still a first year Healing Arts student who should have been in class.

"With no further ado," Healer Laghari said. "The 2019 Graduating Class of St. Mungo's Academy for the Healing Arts has chosen amongst themselves a student to read the Healer's Oath and swear them in. They were instructed to choose, by secret ballot, one of their peers who embodies the values and spirit of the program and the profession they have chosen for themselves. A competent Healer who has shown innovation, sympathy, empathy, collaboration, hard work, patience, kindness, and dedication to their careers, their work, and their classmates. As such, I would like to invite our Mr Teddy Lupin to the stage to read the oath…"

Dora gasped.

"He didn't tell us!" she protested.

"Shh," Remus said, clapping along with the rest of the crowd. "Listen!"

Teddy made his way to the stage and shook Laghari's hand with that playful, mischievous smile of his on his face. For today, he'd turned his hair a soft golden shade to match the Healer's robe. Smile lines gathered at the corners of her eyes and lips, making the freckles across his face crinkle.

He took his spot at the podium and looked at the Healer's Oath before him and cleared his throat once before reading it to the room.

"I swear to fulfill to the best of my abilities and judgement the following Oath:

I will respect the knowledge and wisdom of the Healers before me, endeavour to add to this body of knowledge, and share it all happily and freely with those who will come after me, for the benefit of my patients and my craft.

I will remember that there is art to Healing as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding can do more good than any other technique which I may employ.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I hesitate to call on my colleagues when their skills and experience would benefit my patients. I will on this day receive my right to practise, though I understand that I will never stop learning.

I will prevent illness wherever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will protect the environment which sustains us, for its health is reflected in my own and those of my patients.

I will respect the privacy of my patients and the value of their lives. I understand that though these will be entrusted to me, I must work every day to earn the right to that trust. I will not judge the lives my patients lead but aim to better them and preserve them.

I will do all that I can and all that is required for those who are ill and come to me for help. I will remember that my obligations are to all equal; regardless of a patient's sex, gender, race, orientation, religion, political allegiance, faith, magical status, and ability. I will always remember that my patients are more than a condition, a symptom, an ailment, or a curiosity. I will care for the whole individual and not an illness.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy this life, respected while I live, and remembered affectionately thereafter. May I always act as to honour this oath, honour my calling, and experience the joy of helping my fellow. To this I swear."

When Teddy finished, the rows of Healers-to-be repeated the last phrase. "To this I swear."

Applause rippled throughout the room. Healer Laghari patted Teddy's arm as he left the stage to regain this spot.

Dora squeezed Remus' hand. He turned towards her and fell a little bit more in love with the smile she was giving him.

"We did that," she whispered, nodding her head towards the stage. "We made that boy and we made him smart and hardworking and kind and sympathetic and… he did all the work to get himself here, but we did that."

"We did," Remus said with a smile. He kissed her and they turned their attention back to the stage. They watched as graduates were called one by one, walked onstage, had their golden Healer's pin pinned to their robes, and were showered with applause.

Still, Dora leaned her head against his shoulder, snuggling into his sweater, and Remus couldn't shake her words out of his head. _We did that, _she'd said.

Yes, they had.

And more than that, they had helped to make a world where it was possible for Teddy to do these things and live this life and make the mistakes that had led to this day. A half-werewolf grandson of a Muggleborn and Blood Traitor, the son of two Order of the Phoenix fighters, wouldn't have fared well in a world different than this one. But they'd fought for him and his world, they'd risked it all, they'd been hurt, they'd been lost, they _had _lost, they had nearly lost each other. And all to make this day possible.

Well, maybe not this day specifically. When Teddy had been born, he'd been small and a blank slate. His hair had changed from colour to colour as he'd slept, and Remus remembered thinking that his dreams and his future would be just as ever-changing and open until he settled on what he loved. Teddy could have been anything, Remus wanted him to be anything, but it all needed to happen in the right world.

And so whenever Teddy did things like this—beautiful, incredible things—Remus couldn't help but think of the long road behind them. He thought of Lily and James, Marlene and Dorris, Dumbledore and Alastor, Ted and Fred, and all the losses and sacrifice that made the things Teddy did possible.

Every moment in Teddy's life was a celebration of their victories; it gave a sense of meaning to their losses, and reminded Remus that though he shouldn't take the light for granted he valued it more than he could think. When he'd been little, Remus had counted incredible achievements as successfully ferrying handfuls of Cheerios from the little boy's high chair table to his mouth. But now, watching his son walk to the stage when his name was called, he couldn't have been prouder.

"Edward Remus Lupin," Laghari called.

The applause around the room felt especially loud as Teddy walked onstage, stood up straight as the Head Healer stuck the pin on his chest, and shook his hand. Teddy whispered something that made the older man laugh, and he turned to the crowd and raised his hand in thanks. Dora let out a whooping cheer and Teddy blushed onstage. Dora laughed, even if she was crying again.

And Remus felt thankful for her, thankful for his son, and thankful that everyday was a celebration of the life he had led and the peace he now had.

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Hogwarts; Shipping Wars; Winter Bingo

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Seeds; Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Celebration); Themes & Things B (Survival); Themes & Things D (Sweater); True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Word Count: **1358

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Winter Medium 1 (Joy)

* * *

_**Fall Bingo **_

**Square (Prompt): **5A (Gold)


	11. Happily Caught

**Author's Note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Happily Caught**

Music flowed through the Burrow along with smells from the kitchen and chatter from the living room, staircase, and wherever else people could find a place to sit. This was the absolute fullest Remus had ever seen the house, which was saying something. But for everybody's sake as their first Christmas since the Battle of Hogwarts and all their losses approached, Molly had announced that this would be the biggest, funnest, busiest Christmas yet. There would be food, drink, warmth, joy, happiness, a massive gift exchange, reunions, rest, peace, games… Of course, Remus had still found Dora crying in the bathroom, missing and grieving her father, throughout Hanukkah and up until that morning—and he'd seen the haze and weight lifting off of everyone as the day went on, showing that it had been there after all. But as the day went on and as more and more people crammed into the house, the spirits rose. So did everyone's appetites.

Remus brought an empty plate to the kitchen to reload it with more food from the kitchen. In the doorway of the kitchen he nearly bumped into Dora as she walked out, holding a teapot. Her hair was her usual pine green Christmas shade, and she'd piled it up on top of her head. She was wearing a black turtleneck and a golden skirt that Teddy had quite liked watching the light catch and release.

"Oh!" she said, nearly bumping into him. He'd reached out a hand to stabilize her before she had a chance to drop the teapot. It would be her third of the month if she did, which would be a bit much.

"Thanks," she said. "I thought the baby was with you?"

"He's with Harry and Ginny," Remus said. "They're playing with those stuffed reindeer he got him."

"Those are cute," she smiled.

"Very cute, you should go have a peak," Remus said.

"I will, after refilling Kingsley's cup," she said. "I can't believe the man's actually taking time off—Christmas or no Christmas."

"Wait, wait, you're forgetting something," Remus said. He tilted his head up and nudged her attention towards the mistletoe hung in the kitchen doorway. Dora smiled when she saw him and looked back at him.

"Convenient," she said.

"I think so."

"Did you put that there?"

"I didn't even have to," he said.

"Well go on then," she said. She smiled and eased herself up on her tiptoes to help him. She winked before running off again.

"Hi Molly," Remus said, turning his attention back to his task. "Was there anything in particular I should bring out?"

Molly waved her hand absent-mindedly, focusing on the wine she was mulling, so he made his way to the kitchen table, overflowing with dainties and squares and biscuits and sweets. He knew Andromeda had a soft spot for shortbread and he'd watched Arthur and Harry steadily eat through the pecan pie squares—so he made sure to prioritize those on the plate, alongside minced meat tarts, gingerbread, chocolate bars, and peanut brittle.

"You know, I wouldn't have put money on any of that before," Molly said.

"On what?" Remus asked, adding some rum balls to the plate.

"You being so playful and affectionate so openly," Molly said. She peeked over her shoulder and smiled. "I mean, we always knew that you loved her. But we saw it so rarely…"

"Well, there was mistletoe," Remus said.

Molly clucked her tongue and he couldn't help but smile.

"There are more important things than worry," Remus said. "I suppose I should have known that earlier, but after all the worrying we've had to do… well, it's nice to let those things go and just have her. Or to just have Christmas."

"I like Christmas too," Molly said quietly. On his way out of the kitchen he stopped to hug Molly. She turned and hugged him back.

"You're doing splendidly," Remus said quietly. "And you are taking care of all of us so well, I'm thankful that you get this happy day too."

Molly nodded. She was biting her lips.

"I'm just trying," she said. "Now get those out there, hungry crowds are known to riot, you know."

* * *

**Stacked with:** Hogwarts; Shipping War

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC (x2); Hufflepuff MC; Winter Wonderland; Home for the Holidays; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Friendship); Themes & Things B (Joy); Themes & Things E (Teapot); Ethnic & Present; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash

**Word Count:**

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Fall Micro 1 (Teapot)

* * *

_**Winter Bingo **_

**Space (Prompt): **2D (Mistletoe)


	12. Making Matches

**Author's Note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Making Matches**

It was not unusual for their lazy Saturday mornings to start with tiny hands and feet pressing into their legs as Teddy climbed into their bed to join them. His ability to use magic to get himself out of his crib should be more concerning than it was to them, frankly, but since their bed seemed to be his primary and most frequent destination this seemed manageable—routine, really.

At that point of their little routine, Remus usually said hello to Teddy and asked the toddler how he'd slept before slipping out of bed, ceding his spot and his pillow and blankets to his son.

He'd wander over to the kitchen, start the coffee, and throw something into the oven for it to become breakfast. Today, that something was blueberry scones—Dora's favourites—which he'd gotten quite good at speedily mixing up with a handful of kitchen spells.

He also poured out some chocolate milk into Teddy's current favourite sippy cup since the little boy got jealous of their coffee and hated feeling left out. He made his way back to their bedrooms with beverages for all in hand, but indulged himself by leaning against the doorframe for a moment and watching the scene before him.

Dora had kicked off the blankets and was laying in bed in her red sports bra and fluffy, snowflake-patterned pajamas. Teddy was sitting on her stomach and giggling. She kept one of her hands on his tiny hip to keep him steady, but played with his hair with the other.

"What's this?" Dora asked, pointing to Remus' emerald green pillowcase. "What's this? Oh!"

When she said it, her hair darkened to reflect that colour. Teddy giggled.

"Mama coh-loor," he said, reaching for her hair.

"That's right, baby," she cooed back. "Can you do that? Can you do this? Look? Look, Teddy…"

She drew his attention back to the pillowcase and he studied it for a minute before turning back to her. She raised a hand and fluffed out his hair, currently his prefered shade of turquoise. For a moment Dora's hair changed to mirror his, then she looked at the pillowcase and touched it, making that adorable "Oh!" sound before her hair turned back.

Teddy giggled and his hair became a delightful, airy, light green.

"Well done baby!" Dora said with a look of surprise that was only barely masked by a smile. She lifted him into the air and he giggled. "You're a little mintier than planned, mind you, but you're definitely in the green family!"

"He did it," Remus said with a grin. "He controlled it!"

"You're so good," Dora said, smiling as she poked Teddy's nose. "You're so very talented, Mr Lupin…"

Remus deposited her coffee on her nightstand and kissed the top of Teddy's mint green head before handing off the chocolate milk. Dora sat up, scooping up Teddy against her and drawing her legs closer to give Remus room to sit.

"Have you been trying to teach him how to control it long?" Remus asked.

"Not really," Dora said. "And he _can _control it, already. He drifts to that turquoise he likes all the time, tries to match the Weasleys when we're in a crowd of them. I just thought it'd be good for him to start understanding that he can and should do it at specific times for specific things before he hits kindergarten age."

"That's good thinking," Remus said. "The thought had never occurred to me."

"I never got to go to Muggle primary school because I was a bit too… kaleidoscopic," Dora said. "It was quite lonely. But if we can get Teddy to stick to one colour a week during the school year, I can handle seeming like an irresponsible Mum who dyes her son's hair far too often."

"I'll be the one dyeing his hair every other week," Remus reassured her. "I'll take some of the blame."

She smiled at him and kissed the top of Teddy's head as he gulped down his chocolate milk. When her lips touched his hair, her own curls took on a matching mint green shade too.

* * *

**Stacked with:** MC4A; Winter Bingo; Shipping War

**Individual Challenge(s): **Cuppa; Rainbow Focus; Small Fry; Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Brush; Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Family); Themes & Things B (Joy); Ethnic & Present; Tiny Terror; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash

**Word Count:** 685

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Fall Big List (Morning Routine)

* * *

_**Winter Bingo **_

**Space (Prompt): **3A (Mint)


	13. Fair Trials

**Author's Note: **It has not escaped my attention that y'all enjoy Sirius' appearances in this series. Well, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Fair Trials**

Remus sat in the stands, his fingernails digging into his thigh as he waited. Next to him, Harry's leg bounced up and down. Somehow, the fact that Harry was even more nervous than he was helped to ground Remus at that moment.

"It will be fine," Remus said softly. "This is the first step in undoing years of corruption, misconduct, and mistakes."

"That's what makes it so scary," Harry told him. A cut on his cheek that he'd racked up during the Battle of Hogwarts was still ugly and red.

"Sirius will tell the truth," Remus said. "So will you, as will I, and all the other witnesses will do their parts too. The Wizengamot will hear sense."

"They didn't last time," Harry said anxiously.

"Last time, Sirius' right to a trial was violated," Remus said. Anger still bubbled in his chest at the thought, as did guilt—for his old decision to slink into the shadows instead of fighting tooth and nail for fundamental rights. It had seemed so obvious at the time.

But it hadn't been. And they were going to fix it. Then, Sirius would be a free man again—not confined to hiding places he hated, not forced to live as a dog, under no obligation or requirement to hide from the world.

Remus took a deep breath. There was going to be a lot of rebuilding to be done, and this was effectively the first trial the Wizarding World had seen since Voldemort's fall. But it had seemed like a good place to start—an important place to start. How could they straighten out current wrongs if they themselves rested on a crooked and broken past? Besides; it was important for Sirius to get his trial date before the Death Eater trials began. Those would be long, and Remus wasn't sure how much longer Sirius could wait before bursting at the seams.

Besides. They'd made him go back to Azkaban to await his trial. Not even Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, could contradict the Wizengamot on this. He could only rage—and rage he had. More than that, he had arranged for the Wizarding world's best lawyer, Teresa Schmitt, trained by Amelia Bones herself, to represent Sirius. They were ready to have Sirius back, and back for real this time.

"This has to go right," Harry whispered.

"It will," Remus promised him, putting a hand on his arm. "It will."

He had to believe that.

Dora had told him so that morning, holding his face between her hands as she said goodbye, heading off to work early. She'd said the same thing every time she returned from a shift at Azkaban, always sneaking Sirius a copy of the paper or a smile or whatever else she could manage.

"Order in the court," the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, a man named Lius Thornwick who had been forced to flee Britain under Voldemort's reign, clambered. Arthur liked Thornwick, which helped to assuage Remus' nerves.

He repeated this fact to Harry who nodded along as the doors opened and Sirius emerged into the courtroom, wearing plain black robes and framed by four armed Aurors—Dora included. She'd turned her hair a shade of lavender that Sirius particularly liked, which was quite kind of her. Remus couldn't help but think that the Aurors were being gentle as they magically bound Sirius to the chair in the center of the room.

Sirius himself looked pale, gaunt, tired—everything that someone who had been in Azkaban for two weeks would look. More anger boiled in Remus' stomach at the thought of his best friend going back to that place. He couldn't even begin to imagine what additional damage this may have done, how much more hurt Sirius was now…

He took a deep breath.

Harry looked at him with concern, and Remus shot back what he hoped to be an encouraging smile. They turned back and watched the court proceedings, the ceremonial opening, the introduction of the jury and the defense and the prosecution, the swearing in of the lot of them…

"Will the Defense please proceed to introduce their line of witnesses for today?" Thornwick asked.

Schmitt rose from her spot and cleared her throat before speaking in Sirius' name.

"None, your Honour," she said.

Remus and Harry turned to look at each other with panic.

"My client has opted not to put any of his acquaintances through testimony or force them under the public eye," Schmitt said.

"No," Harry whispered next to him. He looked at Remus, alarm filling his eyes. "He did that for me—this place is crawling with press and…"

"Shh," Remus said, squeezing his arm.

Shmitt went on. "Mr Black wishes to speak for himself."

"Very well," Thornwick said, after hesitating for a moment. "In which case, may the Prosecution…"

"Your Honour," Schmitt said again, recapturing the room's attention. All eyes and ears pivoted to her and she paused for a beat, ensuring she was the sole focus of the room, before elaborating. "Mr Black wishes to speak for himself under the influence of Veritaserum to cement the authenticity of his testimony."

The room whispered and hummed and awed appropriately.

"Can he do that?" Harry asked Remus.

"Unclear," Remus said, eyes fixed on Thornwick who was studying the young lawyer before him.

"The Treaty on Appropriate Potion Usage in the Justice System of 1874 prohibits the use of Veritaserum in the courtroom," Thornwick said.

"To be precise, your Honour, the treaty reads that 'Veritaserum will not be used to force a statement out of a witness or defendant to respect their bodily autonomy,'" Shmitt recited. "Mr Black, however, is willingly submitting to the potion and its intended effect."

Thornwick paused for a moment.

Remus' breath was caught in his throat.

If this went through… if this was allowed… The jury would be absolutely unable to deny or denigrate anything Sirius said, no matter how extraordinary or unbelievable it sounded, no matter what kind of corruption it showed on the Ministry's end, no matter…

"Mr Black, is your lawyer representing your thoughts on the matter accurately?" Thornwick asked.

"Yes, your Honour," Sirius said, his voice hoarse. His hair was tied up in a low bun and there were rings under his eyes.

"In which case, I will allow it," Thornwick said.

Remus couldn't help but laugh. Sirius looked up to him and smiled before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Remus turned to Harry with a wide grin.

Shmitt had, of course, anticipated that this request would work and had Veritaserum on standby, ready to be brought into the courtroom. A Ministry official confirmed the authenticity of the potion before Sirius drank it, down to the last drop, and told his tale.

They listened to Sirius' story, the one they'd heard hundreds of times before. He spoke of meeting James and Remus and Peter at Hogwarts, spoke of their long journey to become Animagi, explained why they wanted to do it… He talked about joining the Order, about Harry being born, the Prophecy, the Fidelius Charm, that night at Godric's Hollow.

"I…" Sirius' voice cracked. "I let him—I let Hagrid—take him away. I listened to Dumbledore and said goodbye to my godson that night, even if it felt like he was all I had left. And I thought about that for all the years to come because if I'd had him, if I'd had Harry, I would have stayed tethered. I would have gone home, found Remus, bought a crib, started looking at school districts, all these other things instead of going after Peter Pettigrew."

"But that's what you did then," Shmitt said gently, guiding Sirius through the story.

"Yes," Sirius said. "I wanted Lily and James to get their revenge."

They listened to him talk about finding Peter, their show-down, the finger, his immediate conviction on the scene, the way that Azkaban and his guilt had put him to sleep for twelve years. The way he talked about the conditions of Azkaban chilled Remus to the core. He'd heard and gathered things about Azkaban, of course, but Sirius had never spoken with so much eloquence and order.

He described seeing the picture of Scabbers and the Weasley family as waking up, spoke about how badly he'd needed to get to Harry. He told them how he'd turned into a dog—a thin, emaciated dog—and slipped out of his cell and swam to shore. He told them how he'd spent a full hour laying on the shore when he reached the mainland, exhausted, and how he'd immediately gone to find Harry.

Harry and Remus, of course, had been there for the rest. Sirius went on, describing that night in the Shrieking Shack and the subsequent years and years of hiding he had to go through.

"I turned myself in after the Battle of Hogwarts, when the Resisting Aurors broke free and came to arrest the Death Eaters, because I'd done nothing wrong," Sirius said. "And I wanted to tell my story, which isn't just my story, really. I wanted a fair trial. I want to be innocent."

The Chief Warlock convened a short recess.

Remus and Harry didn't move, didn't talk, barely breathed.

He returned with a statement, already written.

"I am distburbed," Thornwick said. "Disturbed by the world we have survived and disturbed even more by what we have heard today about a decision made in a time of peace and a decision made in supposed accordance with our laws. I am disturbed by the things I have heard today about our prisons. I am disturbed by the things I have heard today about our justice system. It seems to me that these two things are the ones that ought to be under scrutiny, not the person of Mr Black who had endured sufficient damages at the hands of the institution we represent; he ought, in my opinion, to be compensated for these immeasurable losses should this matter further remain in teh courts."

He paused and returned to his statement. "The use of Veritaserum in this courtroom leaves no reasonable doubt over the accuracy of Mr Sirius Orion Black's statement. As such, I recommend that the jury waste no time in finding Mr Black not guilty and restoring to him all the rights and freedoms of an innocent man."

With a gaps, Sirius slumped over in the chair, burying his face in his hands.

One by one, members of the Wizengamot murmured their versions of "not guilty" until the Chief Warlock slammed his hammer against his desk. The invisible bonds tying down Sirius must have at that moment dissolved, because Sirius fell to his knees.

Before Remus could even grab his arm, Harry bounced down the atrium and jumped over the railing into the courtroom to wrap his arms around Sirius.

And Remus couldn't help but follow.

For the first time since Voldemort fell, Remus didn't just believe that all would be well. He knew it would be.

* * *

**Stacked with:** MC4A

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC (x3); Bow Before the Blacks; Order, Order; Seeds; Golden Times; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Truth); Themes & Things B (Innocence); Themes & Things F (Honesty); True Colours; Short Jog

**Word Count:** 1828


	14. Priority Change

**Author's note: **Happy New Year's! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Priority Change**

Tonks clucked her tongue when someone rushed to block the elevator doors, but when she saw that it was Kingsley climbing in she smiled. Her old friend looked tired, but he stood straight and held his head high as he always did and carried those purple robes of his well. If she hadn't worked at his side and spent multiple evening shifts with him, she wouldn't be able to tell how hard the Minister of Magic was working and the toll it was taking on his sleep.

"Well, well," she said. "Wotcher, Mr Minister. An honour to see you, riding the elevator like the common folk."

"Auror Tonks," he said, tilting his head.

"Another night spent sleeping in your office, I see," Tonks said. "What does Sirius think of that?"

"Bold of you to assume that he wasn't there too," Kingsley said. "He loves visiting, he calls it 'redemption.' There's no telling how far he'll go in a single day now that he's free and proven innocent."

"I know," Tonks said. "When you work late, he's usually in my flat and occasionally having slumber parties with my husband—just by the way."

"I know that too," Kingsley said. "You're here early yourself. Are you working a 6:00-6:00 shift?"

"Yup," Dora said, popping her _p. _

"At least you're free tonight," Kingsley said. "Which, by the way—I have to talk to you about, I'm glad I ran into you. I'm hosting a New Year's Eve party—it'll mostly be former Order of the Phoenix members, my assistant, some other Aurors, my sisters and nephews might swing by... I figure we'll need it after the year that we've had. It'll be nice to start something new, even if it just a year. It's last minute, I know, but if you and Remus want to come…"

"Are you kidding?" Tonks said. "My maternity leave was cut short by a war breaking out and a sudden surge in Death Eaters that needed to be captured, and I have a nine-month-old baby who's teething what I believe to be 1000 teeth. Staying up until midnight means nothing to me, calendar changes be damned."

"I'm taking care of food and drink," Kingsley said.

"My husband bought me new pajama pants that are the fuzziest thing I've ever touched and the second our son is asleep, he's promised me Chinese food with extra spring rolls and a good old fashioned movie marathon," Tonks said. "You're very dear to me, Kingsley, but I wouldn't go to a party tonight to put you out if you were on fire."

* * *

**Stacked with:** MC4A; Advent Calendar

**Individual Challenge(s): **Hufflepuff MC; Winter Wonderland; Home for the Holidays; Golden Times; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Family); Themes & Things F (Honesty) Ethnic & Present; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; Flags & Ribbons; In a Flash

**Word Count:** 429

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Fall Medium 1 (Take-out/Take-away)


	15. Second Tries

**Author's note: **Now this here, dear readers, is what we call absolute and unadulterated fluff. Why? Because Elizabeth deserves it and I'm _just _sick enough that this is all I can do.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Dedication: **For Elizabeth, happy early birthday!

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #1, Dentistry Task #3, Write about a fresh start

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**The Second Time**

Remus fiddled with the cuff of his jacket sleeve when Sirius hit the back of his arm.

"Quit it," Sirius whispered.

"I'm not doing anything."

"Yes, you are," Sirius said. "She'll be out soon, just relax."

Remus nodded but he couldn't help but smile to himself, even if Sirius was standing behind him and for sure couldn't see him. Remus' eyes flitted quickly to where Harry sat in the first row with Teddy slumped against him. He smiled and quickly mouthed 'how is he?' to Harry, who mouthed back 'sleeping.' Teddy looked absolutely handsome in the tiny dress robes Molly had sewn up for him—probably far better than Remus looked in his own robes. Teddy had also decided that today his hair should be a burnt, autumnal orange colour which Remus had never seen him opt for before.

The benches had been installed in rows, candles lining the aisle that split them apart. The crowd was whispering gently, illuminated by the glowing candles that floated above their heads and the sunset light flooding in through the windows. When the music began, Hestia Jones walked down the aisle in her black bridesmaid dress, a bouquet of white flowers in her hands. Then the crowd rushed to stand and Dora turned the corner, holding Andromeda's arm.

Her hair was turned a dark, luxuriously rich mulberry purple for the occasion and her curls fell softly over her shoulders. Remus saw the pop of red on her lips and the kohl under her eyes from across the room, even if it was hidden behind a birdcage veil. He felt like he would be able to see her a mile away, as if she was in a dream. The dress was stark white, the hem tickling her calves and the lace sleeves hugging her arms down to her wrists. His stomach may as well have melted or fallen right out of him when he saw her. He saw her every day, something he was more and more thankful for as it happened, but seeing her looking like a proper bride… He'd been afraid to sound superficial and hadn't mentioned it outright, but he'd been thinking about this moment ever since they had agreed to host a wedding ceremony that their friends and family could actually come to this time. It had been somewhat of a hassle, no matter how much they had tried to keep things straightforward and simple, but this moment alone would be more than worth a thousand more pains.

She smiled at him, as if enjoying the effect she was having on him. She probably was. Remus didn't even bother biting back her smile as she and Andromeda walked down the aisle. When they reached the front of the room, she kissed her mum's cheek and handed off her bouquet to Hestia before taking Remus' hand and facing him.

"Like what you're seeing?" Dora whispered. That finally shook Remus out of his shock.

"You're absolutely stunning," Remus whispered back, squeezing both of her hands. "I'm going to need to see you in that dress a hundred more times."

"Maybe I'll start doing housework in it," Dora teased.

"Friends, family, loved ones," Kingsley spoke up behind them. "We are gathered here today not to celebrate a marriage, since that's already happened, but to celebrate what we all missed last time."

Dora rolled her eyes and Remus chewed his lip, as the crowd behind them giggled at that.

A fair amount of teasing and some honest resentment about their elopement had also been expected today.

"Thank you everyone for coming and joining Remus and Tonks, whose first name I am apparently forbidden to speak even during this wedding reprisal," Kingsley said. "Today we are in a stronger, freer, and safer world than when these two first pledged to spend their lives together; one which is also made ever the more beautiful by the love and the family that they have put in it."

Remus' eyes darted to Teddy who was still sleeping in Harry's arms, and when he looked back to Dora he saw that she'd turned to the baby too. He smiled at her.

"For several years now, I have had the honour of knowing Tonks as an Auror with an outstanding reputation for fairness, perseverance, hard work, and a talent for both breaking things and putting them back together," Kingsley said. "I then had the pleasure to meet Remus in the Order of the Phoenix, where his calm, composed, thoughtful, and selfless nature propped up those around him and changed the world in quiet ways. It was a blessing and a feat of eternal frustration to watch the two of them slowly come together as one against all odds. It is my utmost honour to witness the two of them today show the world the love they have come to share with such joyful candour."

"When Tonks and Remus told us that they had gotten married the summer before last, I have to admit that like many others, my first reaction was _I told you so." _

There was some chuckling from former Order members in the room.

Dora gave Remus a knowing look, arching an eyebrow. He stuck his tongue out at her too quickly for anyone else to notice.

"Their marriage did not have an easy start," Kingsley said, "as war, prejudice, and fear became growing and defining characteristics of our everyday lives. This makes this occasion all the more—"

At this point Teddy woke up and his cries echoed in the room. Remus turned to see Harry getting up, looking for his nearest exist.

Remus squeezed Dora's hands and went down to join Harry, gently lifting Teddy from his arms and propping up the baby on his hip. As Remus suspected, he was just being needy because his parents were within his line of sight but not paying attention to him.

He wandered back to the front of the room and Dora made a face at Teddy and took his chubby little hand in hers before looking back to Kingsley expectantly.

"Fitting," Kingsley smiled. "I was told to keep this short in case the baby woke up, so I suppose that this is a sign for us to turn to the vows."

Remus passed over Teddy, who was more than happy to find himself in his mum's arms, and turned to Sirius. His best man produced the piece of parchment on which Remus had copied his vows from the scraps of paper on which he'd written the first drafts, toiling over every word.

He took a deep breath and met Dora's eyes. They were the shade of hazel she was favouring lately to best mirror Teddy's, and they watched him with quiet encouragement.

"Dora, when you walked into my life four years ago, you did it like some people walk into their house," Remus said. "You knew where everything was and you made yourself at home, like you'd always been meant to be there and fit right in. Of course, you did. But I was completely and utterly unprepared for it."

Dora chuckled, as a few other people in the crowd did. He kept his eyes on her though, because she was the only one that mattered.

"I had no idea what it was like for someone to love as fiercely as you loved me," Remus said. "And I spent an incredible amount of time being shocked or being skeptical before I realised that I could just love you back—and doing that… doing that changed my life."

He took a deep breath to steady his voice.

"The more I do it, the more things I find to love about you. I love when you come home from work and run around the flat telling me about your day for fifteen minutes before you remember to take your shoes off. I love how you never ask before you steal the last bite of cake, you just take it. I love how much braver and bolder and stronger you make me," Remus said. "I love how unconditionally fair and patient you are. I love how you see answers where other people see problems. I love watching you with Teddy and I love that you are my family. I love how badly you make coffee and I love that I get to love you and all these things for the rest of my life."

He took a break to blink back tears he hadn't expected—tears that got annoyingly hotter as he made eye contact with Remus.

"A few months ago, I had no idea how long that life would be," Remus said. "But if I was going to die in a war, I knew I was going to die with no regrets about what exactly my life looked like. And for that I am thankful to you, for our son, for the way that you see prejudice in the world but don't act on it, and for just about everything else about you. And now that the world's safer, even if it nearly cost us everything, I can't wait to love you longer."

Dora nodded and blinked away tears before kissing Teddy's forehead and passing him over. Remus wiped at his eyes before taking his son back, as Hestia handed Dora her vows—which were scribbled on a napkin in purple ink. Remus loved that too.

"I'm—I'm not a very good writer, or a very good speaker," Dora said.

Teddy made a complaining noise.

"Yes, I know, baby," she said reaching out to take the little boy's hand. "I'm not a very articulate person and I was very bad about writing these, so Hestia sat me down in the cafeteria at work and made me make a list of the reasons I married you. There were a lot and you know those already, so I'm not going to waste anyone's time since there's cake after this. But there are a few newer items on the list that deserve to be mentioned because this is a second wedding."

She looked up from the napkin and smiled with Remus.

"When you hold Teddy, I'm excited to see the person he's going to become with a father like you around," Dora said. "You make excellent coffee in the morning and always bring it to me in my favourite cup, no matter how early I have to get up for work. I see you work three times as hard as everybody else to get what you need even if the world is four times as harsh, and I've never seen you complain or be anything other than grateful for what comes your way. You're so witty that you give me a run for my money and keep me sharp even if we're just lazing in bed. You're still so, so good at inventing names for whatever colour I can conjure, even if you've helped me get dressed in the morning a hundred times by now. You make me smile and laugh about things nobody else can make funny. Sometimes, you make me smile without anybody around when I say 'my husband' and know that you're mine and I'm yours. Especially when I think of how close we've come of that not being the case, or how close we came to losing each other in the war."

Dora took a deep breath and folded the napkin in her hand.

"And I'm excited for whatever else continuing to be married to you will bring," Dora concluded, nodding decisively. "Which I know includes cake, and I really didn't think I would cry, so Kingsley if we could move on…"

"Right, then," Kingsley said, taking over again. "Well, neither of you gave your rings to Hestia ahead of time but if you want to take them off now we'll proceed with the exchange… Alright. Remus, placing the ring on Tonks' finger, repeat after me."

Remus slipped the ring on her hand, which would have been easier but not nearly as exciting had he not still been holding the baby.

"I Remus," Kingsley said.

"I Remus."

"With this ring promise to honour you, be faithful to you, and share my love and life with you in every way, forever and always."

"With this ring promise to honour you, be faithful to you, and share my love and life with you in every way, forever and always," Remus said.

Dora smiled and didn't break eye contact with him as she slipped his ring back on his hand, which had felt distinctly naked without it, and repeated Kingsley's words.

"Alright," Kingsley said. He leaned over and plucked Teddy from Remus' arms to free them up. "And now, with the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic…"

Remus couldn't help but burst out laughing, which set off Dora. The irony was not lost on a few others in the crowd who laughed as well.

"...am honoured to pronounce you, once again, husband and wife. You may now seal these vows once more with…"

Dora didn't let Kingsley finish before looping her arms around Remus' neck and kissing him. The soft netting of her veil pressed against Remus' face as he held her closer, and he could tell by the shifting weight of her and the cheering in the crowd that at least one of her feet was no longer touching the floor.

"You two never listen," Kingsley said low enough that only the bridal party heard him.

Teddy looked a little bit rattled by the applause everywhere around them, so Dora scooped him back up and kissed his forehead, soothing him as best as she could. With a quick spell, Remus summoned the stuffed yellow hippopotamus from the diaper bag in Harry's care to give Teddy something else to focus on. He kept a hand on the small of her back as they waved to their friends and family.

There was no walking back down the aisle as the food appeared nearly right away and the benches started gently sliding across the floor, tucking themselves away or transforming into cocktail tables. Remus spotted a tiered chocolate cake dotted with golden flowers, appetizers and cheese platters as far as the eye could see… When they had decided to submit themselves to a proper wedding ceremony, they still hadn't wanted a fuss. That had, after all, been the purpose of running off to Scotland and taking care of everything in a tavern the first time around—though there was something undeniably warm about being well surrounded as they were today. They had scheduled the ceremony for sunset and decreed that it was to be immediately followed by food and dancing to keep things simple.

They took a few pictures with their son as music began filling the room before saying goodnight to Teddy. He was going home with Harry to go to bed, though a rotation of guardians were taking care of him throughout the evening so that nobody missed the whole night.

"Thank you again for taking care of him," Remus said, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. He also knew that Harry was still uncomfortable in large crowds, even months after the war had ended. He added quietly, "If you want to stay with him longer than you're scheduled, don't be shy…"

"Thanks," Harry said. "But I owe Ginny and Luna a few dances, and that cake looked good."

"It does," Dora chimed in.

"I'll make sure there's a piece for you when you come back," Remus said.

"Thanks," Harry said again. "And congratulations, Remus. I'm happy for you."

He smiled. "Thank you. I'm happy too, and you made this possible, Harry..."

"Don't worry about that now," Harry said. "I think Tonks is about to leave you to get food."

"That does sound like her, yes," Remus acknowledged.

"Oye," Dora said, kissing Teddy's head goodbye one last time. "We'll see you tomorrow morning love, and we'll see you later, Harry."

They cut the cake right away since Dora wasn't about to wait a second longer and, to be frank, nor was Remus once he realised that there was chocolate ganache involved. Remus had gotten said ganache smashed in his face at least three times by the time Harry came back, and twice again after that (one of which was thanks to Sirius). He hadn't managed to get cake in Dora's face once by the time their first dance came around.—those damned Auror reflexes of hers…

They'd found out at some point that there would be a piano in the room and Andromeda had surprised them by offering to play for them—she'd picked a Muggle song with a name like _When All Is Said And Done _from a Muggle Swedish band that Dora's father had loved. Remus couldn't remember their name at the moment, he was too busy swaying to the soft piano with his wife in his arms, but he was quite sure that his mother had loved them too.

He had his hands around her, laced against the small of her back, and hers found their place around his neck. She closed her eyes and hummed the song, her head tucked against his chest under his chin.

"I think we did well," Remus said. "Bothering with a proper wedding ceremony for them—well, nearly proper…"

"As proper as we get," Dora said. "Which is, well, saying something. But I agree. It's like… a fresh start in a new world. A world that's better for us."

Remus laughed and pressed his forehead against hers.

"No matter how improper you are, Nymphadora Tonks, I'd marry you a thousand more times," he said.

"I'll marry you a thousand and one more," Dora said. "Though you getting to use my full name was your wedding gift for each one of those."

Remus laughed against the veil and gently pulled it out of her hair to properly kiss her forehead. Dora plucked the veil back from him and slipped the comb holding it up in his hair. He laughed, but didn't have time to pull it back out before the song ended and The Weird Sisters began playing. Once she heard her favourite song, Dora pulled him into a dance and he knew he'd be on the dance floor with her all night. He didn't mind.

* * *

**Stacked with:** MC4A; Shipping Wars; Hogwarts

**Individual Challenge(s): **Fore-Touch; Small Fry; Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Bow Before the Blacks; Brush; Tiny Terrors; Seeds; Golden Times; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Love); Themes & Things B (Joy); Themes & Things C (Soft Toy); Themes & Things D (Chocolate); Themes & Things E (Jewelry); Themes & Things F (Second Chances); True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; Short Jog; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon

**Word Count:** 3048

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Winter Micro 2 (Costume Porn)


	16. As Long as I Have You

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #5, Muggle Studies Task #7 Write about something being repeated

**Warnings: **Accident that permanently alters physical ability

* * *

**As Long As I Have You **

Remus did all the things. He rushed to St. Mungo's, held his wife's hand as the Healers examined her and as she caught her breath, and held her tight as they walked out of the hospital. He wrapped her up in a blanket and sat her down on the couch when they got home, propping her feet up on the coffee table and offering a million options for beverages he could brew or food he could make. He made sure to slow down and enunciate his words more than he maybe would have the day before, to make sure she could follow along. Even if she said she didn't need anything, he brewed a cup of the tea she'd been chain-drinking and cooked up an ooey-gooey, cheesy rarebit. She'd grown partial to his favourite Welsh comfort dish when they'd married, and her

When he brought it to her she ate, but she hadn't moved much and there was something hazy and distant in her eyes.

"Dora," he said.

Then he realised that he was sitting on her left side. He was going to have to be mindful of that from now on. He made a mental note to himself, somewhat frustrated with the realization that he was going to forget a million times as they got used to this.

He put a hand on her thigh and repeated her name. She turned to face him.

"You still look like Miranda," he said.

"Amanda?" she frowned.

"Miranda," he said. "Your Auror personae."

Dora had a few set personalities and physiques that she used and reused for Auror work. One of the first things they'd done together as Order of the Phoenix colleagues was design the curly-haired blonde who often worked security missions.

Auror-wise, Dora had a few things going. Anna was a retired persona, but her big smile and sharp cheekbones had gotten her into qutie a few dragon egg trafficking rings. Madeleine's plain features, brown eyes, and simple brown plaits were inocuous enough to easily dissolve in a crowd. Edith was an older woman who was frequently underestimated by duellers. Sadie was a charmer with a stunning smile and aesthetically-pleasing features, made endearing by a well-placed beauty mark. Tabitha, who was in Remus' opinion the most like his wife, was discreet enough to trust but edgy and boisterous enough to fit into a tavern and get herself into dark corners and unsavory businesses. Dora rinsed and repeated these personalities as needed, depending on what assignments the Auror Department threw at her.

But at the moment, Dora was Miranda. A witch with curly black hair and a frankly (and purposefully) unremarkable face, but instead of quietly tracking former Death Eaters or unicorn poaches like Madeleine did, Miranda often attended illicit Bowtruckle-fighting matches or auctions for dark magical items in order to gather intelligence. She had a reputation, in these circles. A reputation that no longer existed after today's accident and the resulting blast, they would have to remember, but a reputation that had served the Auror Department well for over ten years now.

"Yeah," Dora said mechanically.

Remus hesitated to push the issue.

"I thought… I thought that the department didn't like you using the personas outside of work," he said.

Dora only seemed to catch half of that. Remus squeezed his hand and repeated himself more slowly, running his thumb in circles against her hand in a way he hoped was soothing. He had seen how wide and confused Dora's eyes had been when she'd woken up at St. Mungo's, with only half the ammount of sound she would usually get filtering through and registering.

"They… don't," Dora said.

More than that, Dora usually couldn't _wait _to escape her work personas. For one thing, they were redundant to her, since she repeated them so often—Dora liked variety, experimentation, audacity, creativity... For another, the personas were all, well, _boring _according to her standards. There were no constellation-making freckles, fun and unnatural colours, unusual nose structures, piercing and tattoo do-overs…

Dora took a deep breath.

"It's ridiculous," Dora said. At that her eyes teared up.

"Hey," Remus said. His spare hand cupped her cheek. "That doesn't matter. Whatever it is, remember: you're ridiculous, but you're mine. Mine."

He wasn't sure if she heard him properly that time, but her lip quivered in a sad smile.

"If I shapeshift now and turn back into myself…" Dora said. "If I… if I change my body… and my hearing still doesn't come back…"

Her hand drifted to her left ear, the one the Healers hadn't been able to save.

"...if I change and it doesn't come back, then I know that it's really gone," Dora said.

"Dora," Remus sighed, his heart dropping.

"Ridiculous," she repeated, rubbing a hand against her eyes as if she was frustrated with her own tears—which Remus knew was likely the case. "I know."

"Not ridiculous," he promised. He leaned forwards and kissed her before leaning back. "Not at all. But you are going to be okay. Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people can do so much, Dora. It's going to be an adjustment, but you will manage."

Dora took a deep, shaky breath.

"I know. Mad-Eye lost part of his hearing too. I'm just… I'm afraid of what that adjustment will be," she said.

"I would be scared too," he said. That she didn't seem to catch. It was going to take him practise to adjust his communication style, but this wasn't anything impossible. Maybe they could learn sign language. Maybe she would pick up on reading lips as time went on. Maybe. For now, he picked shorter and more to-the-point words. "Me too."

She exhaled, long and hard.

"But you can do this," Remus said. "The important thing… the important thing is that you lost your hearing today. Not your job, not your family, not your life."

He squeezed her hands and this time found himself breathing in deeply to steady himself. Every now and then, now that they were so far removed from the war and its unpredictability and the ephemeral and dangerous life he had always known, he forgot how stressful being married to an Auror could be.

"We can make anything work," Remus said. "As long as I have you."

Dora reached out and ran a hand through his greying hair and trailed her fingers down to his cheek and down to his chest.

"As long as I have you," she repeated.

She took a deep breath and then cracked a more Dora-like grin.

"At least it will be a cool story," Dora said. "If nothing else…"

"Sure," Remus smiled.

She offered him another smile and then closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, and Miranda's face disappeared to reveal the features of Dora as he knew her best.

She looked around for a second, assessing the situation. He held her hands tightly as she nodded along.

"I'm going to be okay," she said.

* * *

**Stacked with: **

**Individual Challenge(s): **Rainbow Focus; More than England; Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Brush; Seeds; Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Life); Themes & Things B (Loss); Themes & Things C (Blanket); Themes & Things D (Couch); Themes & Things E (Table); Themes & Things F (Resilience); Ethnic & Present; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; Disabled; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Word Count: **1155

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Nymphadora Tonks/Remus Lupin

**List (Prompt): **Winter Micro 2 (Identity Porn)


	17. Literal Fires

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #6, Floristry, Task #7 Write about a show of gratitude going wrong.

**Warnings: **Near fire accident

* * *

**Literal Fires **

Since the Full Moon was approaching, Remus' nose was extra sensitive—and so he was the first to feel that something was wrong. His eyes fluttered open and he wondered for a second if his senses were just playing tricks on him, as his body sometimes did around the moon…

"Dora?" he said, leaning over and wrapping an arm around his wife. He slumped down and his chin rested on her shoulder, giving him a good opportunity to breathe in both her laundry detergent and cocoa butter shampoo. "Dora, do you smell…"

As providence would have it, he was interrupted by the fire alarm ringing and the sound of a small child screaming. Presumably, this was his small child.

"Teddy!" Dora said, sitting up. The duvet went flying as they both threw off the covers and ran out of the bedroom, down the hall, around the corner, and into the kitchen.

And yes, sure enough, there was their small child standing in front of the oven, starring at a plate on fire.

"Merlin!" Dora said. Ever the Auror, she'd grabbed her wand on her way out of the bedroom. She pointed it to the oven: "Aguamenti!"

Remus darted forward to grab Teddy and sweep him away from both the flames and the gust of water that erupted from Dora's wand. Teddy curled into him, hiding his face so all Remus saw was tuffs of pastel purple hair.

Dora's spell was strong enough to extinguish the flame in one go, leaving their kitchen soaked and slightly burnt, but otherwise fine.

Remus put down Teddy and knelt in front of the little boy, scanning him for any scratches, bumps, or bruises.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked.

Dora knelt next to him, one hand immediately going to that pastel hair.

"Sweetness, what happened?" she asked.

"I… I wanted to make pancakes but it was really hard," Teddy said. He looked a little bit stunned with himself and his turn of events. Remus looked up and started clueing in—there was a step stool in front of the oven, a mess of flour and milk on the counter, a bowl of something gunky and beige on the floor, a broken egg supposedly hidden under a paper towel… and there was their son, still grasping a spatula.

"Pancakes all on your own?" Dora repeated cautiously.

Teddy nodded. His lower lip trembled.

"I wanted it to like a big surprise," Teddy said. "Because surprise pancakes always make me feel so happy…"

It was so heartfelt, Remus couldn't even be mad. He gave Dora a look to try to impress this brand of mercy upon her.

"Oh, sweetness," Dora said, leaning it to kiss his ear and running a hand up and down her back. "Sweetness, thank you but… let's leave he pancakes to Daddy, okay?"

"That's a good idea," Remus said. "And maybe one day if you want to learn how to make them, I can help with that. But for today, how about I clean up the kitchen and make us breakfast, alright? You and Mama can go sit in the living room, make some rules for using the oven, and watch cartoons…"

"With cocoa," Dora specified.

"Cocoa?" Teddy asked, perking up.

"Cocoa," Dora nodded. She patted Teddy's back. "Why don't you go find some cartoons for us to watch while I get the kettle going?"

Teddy nodded and Dora squeezed his shoulder again before standing upright. They were a colourful bunch, his wife and son. Dora's hair was still bright magenta from the night before, her nails were painted mustard yellow, and she was wearing a pair of striped pajama shorts and a black-and-white Weird Sisters Reunion Tour t-shirt. Teddy, meanwhile, was wearing green pajamas dotted with colourful dinosaurs. He could picture them wrapped up in one of the living room's big blankets, courtesy of Molly…

"Okay," Teddy said. He wandered away into the living room and once he and Dora were alone in the kitchen, they exchanged looks.

"Oh my God," she mouthed. She looked over her shoulder and then looked back at him when Teddy was nowhere to be seen. "Have we never talked to this kid about fire safety?"

"Apparently not," Remus said, running a hand through his hair. Now that there were no literal fires to put out and his son was safe and sound, the abruptness with which Remus had been woken up started to catch up to him. He looked at the little clock on the oven and… yup, it was 5:17 a.m. on a Saturday. To be clear, 5:17 a.m. on his first Saturday back home for the summer.

Dora followed his gaze and also registered the ungodly hour.

"Well…"

"If you bring up the 'glass is half full' crap again…" Dora said.

"I don't care about the glass, at least our child's not on fire," Remus said. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'll get the cocoa—and make the grown-ups coffee. Possibly with a shot of whisky."

"You're the best," Dora said, putting a hand on his cheek to make him kiss her for real before she padded down to join their son in the living room.

Again, it was 5:17 a.m.

Still, Remus couldn't help but crack a grin. He loved being home from Hogwarts.

* * *

**Stacked with: **Hogwarts; Shipping War; Link Maker; Spring Bingo

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; LEO MC; Professor MC; Rian-Russo Inversion; Small Fry; Tiny Terror; Old Shoes; In a Flash

**Word Count: **885

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Nymphadora Tonks/Remus Lupin (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Spring Medium 2 (Coffee)

* * *

_**Spring Bingo **_

**Square (Prompt): **5A (Fire)


	18. Regrets and Reunions

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #6, Floristry, Task #12 Write about someone attempting to start over

**Warnings: **Estranged family, reunion

* * *

**Regrets and Reunions **

Remus regretted everything. He regretted ever thinking this would be a good idea, he regretted ever saying a word of it to Dora, he regretted letting her talk him into this, he regretted…

She put a hand on his knee, which he hadn't even realized was bobbing up and down nervously. She arched an eyebrow, tinted the same bubblegum pink as her even bangs and bouncing curls.

"Do you want to hold the baby?" she asked. Her eyes were the same bright baby blue Teddy's had been for a few days now—he didn't think she knew how happy that made him. "Would that settle you down?"

Before Remus could respond, his father returned to the parlour carrying a tray loaded with cups of tea and slices of lemon blueberry cake. Remus had never known Lyall Lupin to bake, and wondered at what point of their long separation this development had occurred.

He thanked his father politely for the tea and passed a cup to Dora. Teddy was sleeping against her, oblivious to the expedition he had motivated and the shock he had given his grandfather. As he slept, his hair transitioned softly from blues to pinks to greens and pinks again. It made Remus think vaguely of the Northern lights. Regardless of how unaware the sleeping baby was, watching Teddy's belly rise and fall as he breathed soothed Remus. It reminded him of why he had dragged himself and his family back to Wales, even if he hadn't been eager to do it...

"Thank you," Dora said, taking the cup from Remus. She took a sip before looking around the living room again. "You have a beautiful home, Mr Lupin."

"Please," his father said. "Call my Lyall. You… you're my daughter-in-law, after all."

Dora smiled and nodded, but didn't add anything more. She looked from Lyall to Remus expectantly. Remus had _tried _to warn her just how awkward this might be… His wife was hardy, but too optimistic for the Lupin family.

She was saved by Teddy, who woke up and immediately started whining and crying. The short, low-pitches cries that rose and fell senselessly told Remus that the baby was most likely hungry.

He reached out, but Dora swatted him away. She got up, repositioning Teddy against her.

"You two catch up, I'll go feed him," she said, one hand brushing Remus' shoulder. She turned back to Lyall. "Is there a place, that..?"

"Yes, umm, the kitchen has quite a nice view of the beach and a very comfortable chair…" Lyall offered.

"Thank you," Dora said, shooting Remus a look like _get on with it _before excusing herself. He was sad to see the two of them gone, anxious to be left alone…

"She's radiant," Lyall said a few seconds after she was gone. Remus had been making efforts not to meet his father's eye, but he couldn't ignore that.

"She is," he admitted. "She's… everything, well, nearly everything to me—now that there's a baby too..."

Lyall nodded along.

"Are you two married?" Lyall asked.

"We are," Remus said. "She just doesn't wear her ring on her finger, because she's an Auror. It's on a chain around her neck, she usually tucks it away."

"I see."

"She has Mum's engagement ring," Remus said.

"I see," Lyall said again. "When did that happen?"

"That Mum gave me her ring? Ages ago," Remus said. _I never thought I would need it, but I couldn't say no to her. _

"I meant the wedding."

"Last May," Remus said. "It was small. Actually, we eloped."

"Right," Lyall nodded. "And what about Teddy? When was his birthday?"

"April 14th," Remus said. "Just before sunrise."

Lyall nodded.

Remus swallowed.

"It was a hard year," Remus said. "It was… a hard few years. I could have written."

"You could have," Lyall said.

That got under Remus's skin like a bee sting, even if he had admitted it first. His father shouldn't have just _agreed.._.

"I could have, as could you," Remus said. He scratched the back of his head nervously and took a deep breath. "I had… there was a lot to do in the war and I had a lot to work through. Dora can attest to that, she stood by me in ways I never could have imagined or dreamed."

Lyall shook his head. "The war, again… I knew you would be involved again, but… were you hurt? During that big battle at Hogwarts?"

"I spent three days in St. Mungo's," Remus said shortly. "Dora suffered a concussion, but both of us are thankfully well."

Dad nodded. "And... the baby?"

"What exactly are you asking me about the baby?" Remus asked. His father didn't seem to know what to say. He saw the calculations in Lyall's head before he ultimately decided to err on the side of caution, but Remus wasn't in the mood for it. Not for euphemisms, not for abstractions, not for any of it.

"Is he healthy?" Lyall hazarded.

"If you're asking if Teddy's like me, the answer is no," Remus said. "You're not allowed to look happy or relieved about that—as if it would have changed your life or affected you. If the illness had passed on to Teddy, I wouldn't have brought him here in a million years, either. Because if it had, I would have been able to give him what he needed to be safe and healthy and well, and Dora would have loved him enough to make it all okay. His life would have been complicated, and it's for the best that he's just human, but I would have made it a good life."

Lyall looked caught off guard by this, and maybe Remus was too. He was usually much quieter. Much more polite. Much calmer. Remus sighed and tapped back into those parts of himself.

"You and I haven't had the best relationship," Remus said cautiously. "The reasons why aren't mysterious."

His father shifted awkwardly in his seat, looked around for something else to do, but Remus was right.

"You lost my trust in a big way when I found out why Greyback came after me," Remus said. "That was something even Mum couldn't fix between us, though Merlin knows she tried until her dying breath."

Lyall looked at his shoes.

"I don't blame you for making me a werewolf," Remus said. "I'm… we're past that, now, and I have a good life. I do hold you responsible for the amount of fear and secrecy and anxiety and self-loathing you instilled in me because of it, however."

Lyall looked up and opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but Remus raised his hands. This was the extension of an oil branch, not a discussion.

"I think we can do better," Remus said. "I think we can be better to each other than we have until now, and Teddy… Teddy already lost one grandfather during the war. I think he's a good chance of us to try to do better."

Against Remus' expectations, his father got up and crossed the parlour. He extended a hand to Remus. When Remus shook it, Dad pulled him up and wrapped his arms around him.

"I missed you," he mumbled into Remus' shoulder.

Remus sighed again, and wrapped his arms around Lyall in an awkward hug.

"It's alright," Remus promised. "We're done with that."

* * *

**Stacked with: **Hogwarts; Shipping War; Link Maker; Spring Bingo

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; LEO MC; Professor MC; Rian-Russo Inversion; Small Fry; Old Shoes; In a Flash

**Word Count: **

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Nymphadora Tonks/Remus Lupin (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Spring Medium 2 (Tea)

* * *

_**Spring Bingo **_

**Square (Prompt): **2D (Pink)


	19. A Generous Offer

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #7, Circus Skills Task 1: Write about someone supporting their partner.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**A Generous Offer **

"I still think we could make it work," Dora said from her spot, stretched out on the picnic blanket with her feet in the grass, her head on his lap. He played with her hair, letting the choppy pastel blue strands slip through his fingers. It was a lazy gesture, one that could only be so casual and careless because he knew he'd be able to stroke her hair forever.

"We don't have to talk about this now," Remus said. "It's Teddy's birthday."

They could hear their son giggling away as Harry pushed him gently in the baby swing, on the other side of the park. They had a great view of what was frankly an adorable sight from the picnic blanket where they were lounging amongst leftover sandwiches, empty bottles of butterbeer, cupcakes frosted with turquoise icing, and their one-year-old's diaper bag.

"Exactly, we basically have free childcare right now and time to talk," Dora said. Remus didn't answer. "Are you going to make me sit up to force you into this conversation?"

"No," Remus said. "I… I admit, it was a generous offer."

"Generous?" Dora scoffed. "There was nothing generous about it, Remus. They would be lucky to have you back on staff. I hear things, you know. You were a wonderful Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and you'd only be better now after all we'd been through. Students would be happy to have you. I mean, look at Harry. He turned out alright."

"As happy as I am that you think our son's godfather 'turned out alright,' I must say that I had very little to do with that. Harry was just a very gifted student and a hard worker and…"

"You _talk _like a teacher too," Dora said.

Remus chewed his lip and twisted his fingers in her hair, wondering if the texture of Dora's hair was right today for any curls he made to stay. She sensed him stalling for time and sat up, sitting cross-legged. They had been laying in the sunshine for so long, he had nearly forgotten just how many freckles she had splashed across her cheeks this morning—with the ease and spontaneity that the non-Metamorphmagus of the world may use to apply make-up.

"McGonagall said she would be happy to accomodate for us," Dora said. "Let Teddy and I visit as much as we want, work out weekends and nights where you could come home instead of patrolling hallways and supervising students… and you'd have access to the Wolfsbane Potion again if you took the job."

"I don't want it to be about that, Dora," Remus said.

"I'm not making it about anything," Dora said. "I just… all these things are important to you. Your health is important. Your skills are important. Your experience is important. Teddy and I are important…"

"So important," Remus said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. Dora smiled. She called him old-fashioned for that particular gesture, always had, but Remus knew she secretly loved it.

"I think you would be happy working again," Dora said. "I can picture you so easily in a classroom teaching kids how to be strong against the world, how to find a Grindylow's weak spots, helping them find themselves and the things they're interested in, devouring every book in the library, helping students disentangle myths about lycanthrope... You're such a good father that you're not wasted, staying home with him by any means, but you… you're good at teaching. You could be doing such important work, work that you love and that I know you've missed..."

"You work too," Remus said. "Who would take care of Teddy?"

"Mum," Dora said simply. "She's bored out of her mind now that she's retired, this would be a public service really."

"What about your night shifts?" Remus asked. There were plenty of Death Eaters left to round up and prosecute after the war. Azkaban being reformed and the Dementors torn from the prison had only added additional work for the Auror Department.

"McGonagall said she would accommodate, and Harry's never said no to spending extra time with his godson," Dora said. She spoke so nonchalantly, it was as if these questions weren't even worth asking. She leaned her cheek on a hand.

"Any other problems?" she asked.

"You've thought about this," Remus said.

"I knew you would," Dora said. "I wanted to be there to kick you in the right direction when you inevitably saw all the problems and obstacles in the way of… well, in the way of a really great opportunity."

Remus looked away from her and back towards the swings where Harry and Teddy were frolicking. Teddy was still giggling, which was making Harry crack up in turn. Remus had only seen him truly laugh a few times since the war, and Teddy was involved in most of those occurrences. Teddy, meanwhile, hadn't stopped giggling since the first time he'd done it. He'd only been three and a half months old, which Andromeda had said was a bit early but none of them were complaining. Dora had been rocking him to sleep and Remus had walked into the nursery with what had been Teddy's favourite toy at the time—a stuffed jarvey with soft, caramel fur. He had seen his favourite toy and giggled, and broken Remus' heart into a thousand little happy pieces. Just like he had when he'd been born, just like he had when he'd taken his first step, said his first 'Mama,' blown out the candles on his birthday cupcake... The jarvey was in the diaper bag right now, and part of Remus wanted to reach out for it.

"I'm going to miss you," Remus said finally, his mouth dry. "I'm going to miss you and Teddy if I go."

"And we'll miss you," Dora said. She put a hand on top of his. "Remember last May, when we got the message that something was happening and we had to decide whether or not we would go to Hogwarts and fight?"

"Vividly," Remus said. "As I recall, it was not a long discussion."

"No," Dora said. "We wanted to do what we could to make the world better for our son, to be people he could be proud of, to be examples, to use all of our skills and experiences and potential for him…"

"It was a short discussion," Remus said.

"It was," Dora said. She squeezed her hand around his. "I'm not going to pressure you to do anything. If you want to go back to teaching, I'll open a bottle of champagne to celebrate. If you decide to stay home with Teddy, I'll drink to that too. But you can be good to him and good to the world in a lot of different ways. Think about it, that's all I'm saying. Really, I'm just looking for a reason to drink as you can see—what with my baby being a whole year old now..."

That sent Remus laughing, and his laughter joined Teddy's in the quiet park.

* * *

**Stacked with: **Hogwarts; Shipping War; Spring Bingo; Link Maker; Chimera Creator

**Word Count: **1175

* * *

_**Spring Bingo **_

**Space (Prompt): **2E (Sunshine)

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Spring Medium 2 (Sandwich)


	20. Inevitable Limits

**Author's note: **I honestly can't really believe that I'm about to send out chapter 20 of this drabble series into the world; so thanks to all of you for reading! I don't know how many more chapters are coming after this one, since everything is anachronistic and I usually just write what I'm thinking about, but let me know if there are any prompts, genres, or scenarios you'd like to see in the reviews!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #8, Geology Task #5 Write about someone being saved from something.

**Warnings: **Terminal/chronic illness

* * *

**Inevitable Limits **

Dora was already in bed when he crept into their bedroom after spending quite a bit of time in the bathroom. He had been trying to rub the ache out of his knee and applying healing balms to the substantial amount of cuts and scrapes and bruises on his skin that refused to heal of their own accord. He'd had little luck, but at least the sleeping drought should help him fall asleep tonight.

He was still a black and blue mess when he eased himself down into bed, pulling the covers over himself. The weight of the rainbow-striped blanket Molly had knitted for them to celebrate their five year anniversary was comfortably heavy on Remus. Well, almost. The joints in his fingers were nearly too stiff to grip the sheets and blanket properly and his grip on them failed just before he could pull them up to his neck.

"When are you going to talk to a Healer?" Dora said quietly.

They were in the dark but Remus was sure that his wife would catch the hitch in his voice if he tried not to tell her the truth. As it turned out, being married to an Auror meant being married to someone who had specialized training in detecting untruthfulness. Still, he tried to play it off.

"Why would I…"

"Remus," she said in that tone of hers that never failed to snap him out of his nonsense. Except this wasn't nonsense. He genuinely just did not _know _how to have this conversation with her. He could barely order the thoughts sensically in his own head.

When he didn't answer, she sighed.

"The full moon was a week ago," she said. "You're still limping. You're still in pain. It's like you're not recovering. And it's worse than it was last month and that was worse than the month before…"

She trailed off as if giving him a chance to chime in and answer, but Remus simply didn't.

"Look, I'm not trying to say that I'm right, but I'm right. I know I am," Dora said. "I don't understand why you're putting yourself through this."

It was no use lying to her.

"If I go to St. Mungo's, Teddy will find out," Remus said evenly. "He will worry about me, he will want to be involved, and he will worry even more when I inevitably say no. And I knew he would tell you too. I wanted to save you the… the trouble and the worrying."

"I'm your wife," Dora said. "I'm meant to know these things. I'm meant to fret over you."

"I do not want you to have to worry more than strictly necessary," Remus said. "Being married to a werewolf can't possibly be any good for the nerves. I wanted to spare you from what I could until… until I was sure something was wrong. I already give you so much to worry about."

She sat up in bed. He saw her silhouette cross its arms and reached for his wand on the bedside table. He waved his wand and the two lamps on their light tables turned on. Dora looked down at him, her lips set in a terribly strict and crooked line. She always wore her hair short when she slept, she hated waking up with hair in her mouth, and tonight she'd opted for a pale grey shade that seemed just about silver.

"You silly man. You're not saving me from anything. Not knowing what is happening to you is more concerning than anything the Healers could tell us," she said. "You… your body has been through a lifetime of unwilling and painful transformations that you often made more painful than necessary to avoid hurting others."

Remus didn't answer. She was saying the truth.

"I worry about what that means," Dora finally said.

Remus worried too. He looked away from her and at the ceiling, trying to muster the words he needed before turning back to her and saying them.

"I think my body's failing me," Remus said quietly. "I think… I think it's had enough. I don't even think it's transforming properly, even when I take the Wolfsbane potion. It's like… it's like my bones and my muscles never go all the way back, one way or the other. They're always just a bit shy of what they ought to be, just a bit more painful than they should be."

Dora didn't answer right away.

"You need to go see a Healer," she said.

"What will they do?" Remus asked. "Other than help manage the pain?"

"Don't say that as if that's all that's left to do," Dora said. Her voice choked at the words and Remus' heart seized in his chest. This. This was what he had wanted to avoid.

Then again, if they were right… well, this would be something of an inevitability.

He swallowed.

"Dora…" he started. "What if… what if it is?"

She frowned at him, pale. Her mouth dropped down into the shape of a speechless 'o' before she snapped herself out of it.

"Don't say that," she scoffed.

"But what if it is?" Remus insisted. "I'm _old, _Dora. By werewolf standards, if not quite wizard standards. The only werewolf I've ever known who got older than I am now was Fenrir Greyback and he never resisted his transformations or denied himself anything. I may have found a limit..."

Dora's eyes fluttered shut. Remus reached out to take her hand. He wanted to squeeze harder than he could.

"I know we haven't had to talk about the possibility of losing each other in years," Remus said.

"Twenty-three years," Dora said quietly.

"Right," Remus said. "Twenty-three years… we've been lucky, that all has been well."

"It's been more than well," Dora said. "It's been _beautiful. _And it will keep being like that."

"It will," Remus said. "But we should… we should talk about it again."

"Does it have to be right now?" Dora said.

"No," Remus said. "No, it doesn't. Come here."

Dora hesitated. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," Remus said, his heart breaking at the thought that he was the one hurting her. "Come here."

Dora reached for the wand on her bedside table and turned off their lamps before laying down in bed, laying with her head against his chest. Remus adjusted his arm around her shoulders. He was well aware that they both remained wide awake.

Remus was painfully aware that they were both wide awake, breathing together and breathing each other in, a half hour later.

"I'll go see a Healer on Monday," Remus promised.

"Thank you," Dora whispered. She shifted to bury his face into the sweater he'd worn to bed. The minty, fresh smells of the healing balms were wafting through the fabric and into the room.

"I should have sent you there earlier. Saved you from your own piss poor self-preservation skills."

"A few days won't change anything," Remus said. "But whatever it is they say, whatever is wrong with me, just know that you saved me from most likely going through this same pain but alone and without a lifetime of happiness at your side."

"You're not dead yet," she muttered into his chest. "Don't get nostalgic on me, old man."

He couldn't help but laugh and kissed her hair.

"I mean to say that you've already saved me, Nymphadora," he said quietly. She didn't even protest at his use of her name. She just snuggled into him more.

* * *

**Stacked with: **Hogwarts; Shipping War; Spring Bingo; Link Maker; Chimera Creator

**Word Count: **1251

* * *

_**Spring Bingo **_

**Space (Prompt): **2C (Rainbow)

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Spring Big List (Blanket)


	21. Blanket Magic

**Author's note: **Wow, you guys really liked that last drabble… I'll see what I can do to keep going with that particular plot/trail of thought. For now; enjoy the following!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #9, History of Magic Task #2 Write about someone believing an item brings good/bad luck, or brings protection.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Blanket Magic **

Tonks woke up slowly, before she could really hear her name being called, and then once she realized that Teddy was crying for his mama and sobbing she threw back her sheets and bolted to his room.

She opened the door to the sound of sobbing.

"Sweetheart, what's happening?" she asked softly. To avoid blinding the two of them, she crept towards Teddy's bed and flicked on the lamp on his side table before sitting on his bed. Teddy crawled onto her lap instantly, tears streaming down his little face. It just about broke her heart.

"It happened again," Teddy cried.

"What happened?" she asked, scooping up Teddy in her arms. "Shh, baby, big deep breaths and then you can tell me…"

"I had another nightmare again," Tedy cried.

"Did you, baby boy?" Tonks asked, running her hand up and down his back. "I'm so sorry… was it scary?"

"Yeah," Teddy sobbed, burying his face in her chest. She kissed the top of his head.

"Well, I'm so happy it's over now," she said. "You were really brave, and now it's over. Deep breaths, baby, deep breaths… you're okay now, you're with me."

She rocked herself back and forth, though she wished she had the rocking chair she'd had when Teddy was a baby and needed nursing in the middle of the night. She'd passed it on to Fleur who had somehow decided to have _three _little buggers. Otherwise, Teddy's room hasn't changed much since it had been a nursery—the toys in the basket under the door had changed, the crib had been swapped out for a bed, the marks on the door were charting his growth, but the walls were the same robin's egg blue she and Remus had picked and his name was spelled out over his bed in the same yellow letters they had painted years ago.

Regardless, with or without the rocking chair, Teddy calmed down in her arms soon enough.

"That's it," she encouraged him as the hitching of his breathing. "That's it baby, good job… good job, you're okay now."

"Mmm hmm," Teddy moaned against her. His tiny hands were fisted into the t-shirt she'd fallen asleep in, clinging on for dear life.

She kissed the top of his head and ran her fingers through his light, fluffy hair. The texture wasn't far off from Remus' and she wondered if this was Teddy's natural shape, when he wasn't morphing himself. She wouldn't be able to ask him and know for sure until he was much older, of course, but she kind of liked the idea that Teddy had inherited this.

"Was it the same nightmare as the night before?" Tonks asked.

"Yeah," Teddy said. "And the night before that too. When I'm lost and I can't find you and then the monster comes and I have to run away and I try to run away really fast and I have to not get eaten."

"Wow," Tonks said. "Yeah, that's a really scary one, baby."

Teddy curled up against her some more.

"You know, Teddy…" she started. She chewed her lip, trying to find the right words. "I know I've been working late this week, and I only come home from work after Grandma or Harry or Sirius tucks you in… but I'm always going to come back to you, every single night, okay?"

Teddy didn't say anything, he just curled up against her more.

Tonks hated this; usually she put in a request for her work schedule in early September, when Remus headed back to Hogwarts, to be nice and light and child-friendly to make the transition easier for Teddy. But, of course, a scheduling request was only a request in the Auror Department, and apparently this one had fallen on deaf ears since Tonks had been working disgusting 10:00-10:00 shifts for the last week. On the bright side, it meant that she could wake up early to make Teddy pancakes and help him get dressed before school. When she walked him to the wizarding preschool he attended in downtown London, they could take the scenic route as he filled her in on what had happened the night before—hands clutched, occasionally stopping at a coffee shop for hot cocoa... as nice as that little morning tradition was, it certainly wasn't making up for all the nightmares her little guy was feeling.

"Hey," Tonks said, running a hand through Teddy's hair. "Do you know what Mama's job is?"

Teddy looked up and tilted his head to the side curiously.

"Well, Daddy's a teacher, right?" Tonks said. "A professor? And he teaches people how to take care of themselves and protect themselves against things that might hurt them?"

"Yeah," Teddy said.

"Well, Mama is an Auror," Tonks said. "That means that I make sure that everyone follows the rules, and help people stay safe against things that might hurt them in the real world. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah," Teddy said.

"Okay," Tonks said. She kissed Teddy's head. "So that means I know a thing or two about protection, right? About protecting people..."

"Right," Teddy said.

"Okay," Tonks said, happy that this was getting traction with her son. She kissed the top of his head. "Wait here, baby boy, I'm going to go grab something that might help you quickly…"

"Are you going to be quick?" Teddy asked.

"So quick," Tonks promised. She offered up her pinky and made him a pinky promise to reinforce this before crossing the hall back to her bedroom. She made sure to turn on the main light and the hallway light too, so Teddy would have plenty of light around him.

She poked through their closet, which was distinctly emptier with Remus' clothes packed away and gone to Hogwarts. She looked over various cardboard boxes whose contents were vaguely outlined in Sharpie scrawl, and finally found the box of "DORA BABY STUFF." It was full of things from when she'd been a baby that Mum had passed on to her when she'd been pregnant, and that she'd then kept once Teddy had grown out of them. There were a few colourful picture books, a mobile that had hung over both of their cribs, a few particularly cute outfits that had been handmade by Tonks' paternal grandmother… and the little blanket—a baby blanket in navy blue, dotted with stars and moons and little lambs with closed eyes who seemed to be sleeping.

She brought the blanket to her nose, taking in its smell, before tucking the box back into the closet and heading back to her son's room, where Teddy was eagerly awaiting her return.

"This," she said, unfolding the blanket to show him, "is a safety blanket."

"It looks just like a normal blanket," Teddy said.

"It does," Tonks admitted. "But it's a little big magic."

"What kind of magic?" Teddy asked. "Does it change colour too?"

The poor little boy was slightly confused about what in the world could and could not change colours, since it seemed to come so easily to both him and his mother.

"No," Tonks said. "Even better. Because this blanket has slept for so many nights and because it's been loved so, so much, it chases away nightmares."

"How?" Teddy asked—ever the curious skeptic, much like his father.

"Magic," Tonks said simply. "You don't have nightmares when I'm the one who reads you bedtime stories and puts you to bed, right?"

"Right," Teddy said.

"That's because I love you so much that it's like magic," Tonks said. "And this blanket has some of that magic too. Usually it's my blanket, but I think that we can share."

"Are you going to have nightmares if you don't have it, mama?" Teddy asked.

"Nope," Tonks said. "Not even one, as long as I know that you're sleeping safe and sound."

Teddy examined the blanket. Tonks offered it again.

"Do you want to give it a try?" she asked.

Teddy nodded but then he bit his lip.

"Can you still tuck me back in and sing me a song?" he asked.

"Of course baby," Tonks said. "We can do both tonight. I'll just make sure to tuck in your blanket with you."

* * *

**Word Count: 1376**


	22. On Making Families

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #9, Ballroom Dancing Task #5, Write a fic with the Hurt/Comfort genre. (BONUS: happy ending!)

**Warnings: **Parental anxiety

* * *

**On Making Families **

"Harry," Remus said with some shock as he opened his front door. "Harry, I… I didn't expect you today."

Harry was standing in the doorframe, looking dazed and on the verge of being sick. His coat was thrown over his shoulders and his hair was particularly disheveled—which was indeed saying something. For all Remus knew, he had just been hit with a confounding charm.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Can… can I come in?" Harry asked. His voice was hoarse in a way that immediately rang Remus' alarm bells.

"Of course," Remus said, standing aside to let Harry in. "Let me take your coat."

"Yeah, thanks," Harry said.

"Harry?" Teddy's little voice echoed further down. The sound of pitter-pattering feet on the hardwood floor announced Teddy's arrival before he appeared at the end of the hallway—grinning a gap-toothed smile and wearing a crimson Gryffindor sweater he'd stolen from Remus' pile of old clothes. It was, of course, far too large on him and fit more like a dress with extravagantly long sleeves.

"Hey, little mate," Harry said, forcing a smile and crouching down just in time to scoop up his godson as Teddy ran into his arms.

"You're here!" Teddy exclaimed greefully.

"Sure am," Harry said, propping up the little boy on his hip. "Nice sweater, there. Are you going to be a Gryffindor like me and Dad?"

"No," Teddy said, shaking his head and sending his tufty turquoise hair flying. "I'm going to be a Huffapuffa!"

To illustrate his point, he turned his hair a bright canary yellow colour.

"If you say so," Harry said. He plopped Teddy back down at his feet.

"I gotta have to show you something," Teddy said. "It's a picture I made but it's in my room."

"I would love that," Harry promised him. "Do you want to go get it?"

"Yeah!" Teddy said before darting up. Remus watched him go for just a second before turning back to Harry. He lowered his voice. "Is everything alright, Harry?"

Harry looked at him. Finally he took a deep breath and found the words to tell Remus.

"Ginny's pregnant," he said.

Then Remus recognized the look in Harry's eyes for what it was. Absolute _panic. _

"Harry!" Dora said, waltzing into the kitchen. "I thought I'd heard you."

"Hey," Harry said, trying to shoot her a smile. It turned out crooked and she immediately arched an eyebrow.

"Dora, could you take Teddy to the park for a second?" Remus asked. "He wants to show Harry that picture of the Burrow that he drew, but we… need to talk."

"Yeah, of course," Dora said. She smiled a bullshit pleasant smile as if everything was fine, but Remus knew that she knew better.

Teddy ran back into the kitchen and showed Harry the picture of the Burrow that he'd made and showed his godfather, who appropriately ooohed and aaahed, where every room's windows were and where he still needed to add the apple orchard or the chicken coop or vegetable patch. Dora took the opportunity to go fish a pair of socks from Teddy's closet while he did and then proceeded to convince Teddy to go to the park to give Harry and Remus some grown-up time.

"They'll be really boring," she told Teddy. "All they'll talk about is taxes."

"What are taxes?" Teddy asked. Remus bit back a smile, watching the two of them go.

"You don't want to know," Tonks said. "Trust me, the park is way more fun."

Teddy, reasonable child that he was, seemed deeply suspicious and unamused by taxes, and so out they went. When the front door shut, Remus turned to Harry.

"Have a seat," Remus said. "I'll make us coffee."

"Alright," Harry said.

Remus joined him at the kitchen table moments later with a full French press and two ceramic mugs in hand. They were quiet for a second, while the coffee brewed and the smell of it filled the air.

"Absolutely no rush," Remus said, pushing Harry's cup in front of him when it was properly brewed and ready.

"I just…" Harry said, as if he'd only been waiting for an invitation to speak. "I… we… hadn't talked about it… it… I guess it's an accident."

"Okay," Remus said.

"I mean, we were…" Harry scratched the back of his head. "I knew she wanted kids and that's great, but we haven't been married long and we're still really young and we were being careful and so… and so I guess I'm a little bit in shock."

"Okay," Remus said again, curling his hands around his mug and nodding along.

Harry swallowed.

"I…" Harry said. "I don't think I reacted properly. When she told me about it this morning, before she had to go into work to talk to her coach about it. That's, that's where she is now, but I'm afraid that I muddled it.."

"Did you immediately decide that you were terribly unsuited for this business and proceed to offer your services to three outlaws who were on the run in order to fulfill a dangerous quest?" Remus asked.

Harry took a second to process this before cracking a smile.

"No," he said. He took a sip of his coffee. "No, I didn't do that."

"Very good—in my experience, this is not an appropriate response," Remus said. He reciprocated Harry's crooked smile. "What did you do?"

"I mean…" Harry said. "I mean, I hugged her, when she told me."

"Okay, good," Remus said.

"I think my face was wrong though, because she asked me if I was okay and I said yes," Harry said.

_That's obviously a lie—not so good, _Remus thought to himself though he didn't say it out loud.

Harry swallowed hard.

"I asked her if she was okay, and she said yes," Harry said. "She said it's unexpected but she's happy about it."

"Alright," Remus said. "And when are you going to tell her how you really feel?"

"I'm okay," Harry said.

Remus arched an eyebrow and stared down Harry. Harry's emerald green eyes didn't even manage to hold Remus' gaze for a second before he looked away and scratched the back of his head some more. He took a sip of his coffee, probably to have something to do other than talk about his feelings. It hurt Remus, how much his years with the Dursleys and at war with Voldemort and the world had stunted Harry's ability to process and share his emotions. It would break Lily's heart, if she were here.

"I won't judge how you feel," Remus promised, speaking as gently and honestly as he could. "Heaven knows I would have no right to."

Harry looked into his cup as he mulled this over.

"I'm… in shock, I think," Harry said, pronouncing the word as if it was sudden.

"That's fair," Remus nodded.

"I'm… I'm scared, too," Harry admitted, lowering his voice. "Because, I…"

His eyes lingered on the picture Teddy had left on the kitchen table. His fingers lingered over the wax crayon lines.

"This was my first real home," Harry said. He brushed the window at the very top of the house, which would show the attic where Remus knew he and Ron had spent many summers. He traced the uneven and squiggly kitchen windows Teddy had drawn next.

"I mean, Hogwarts was like a home to me, but it was a home and it shouldn't have been like that. I know that Dumbledore was thinking about keeping me protected by leaving me with relatives, when he left me with the Dursleys, but he didn't protect me from…. From a lot," Harry said. "This place was the first time that I could remember being in a place that was built out of love where people liked each other and were happy to see each other and helped each other and took care of each other… and I was 12 when I first got there. I know that my parents loved me first. They did everything that they could even before they gave their lives for me, and whenever you and Sirius talk about them I remember how much they loved me too. But I… I don't remember any of them, I never really knew them or the kind of family that we were. I was 12 years old when I started thinking of what a family should look like and what it should feel like and how they should work."

"You were," Remus nodded. "And that's profoundly unjust and it shouldn't have happened to you, Harry. It's really, really important to me that you know that."

Harry nodded stiffly.

"I don't know how to make a family," Harry said, finally. "I don't… I don't know… I don't think I can do it, Remus. I don't think I can do this, I don't think I can just _be _a dad."

Remus nodded. He put a hand on Harry's arm and squeezed.

"I'm going to tell you what you told me when I was very similarly panicking," Remus told Harry, handing him a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

"Are you going to scream at me, then?" Harry asked.

"No, I won't," Remus said with a grin. "You don't deserve to be shouted. You're being far more reasonable about your absolute panic than I was being at the time. But do you remember what it was that you shouted at me, exactly?"

Harry thought it over for a second.

"I shouted at you a lot," Harry said with a wince.

"Think of the most important thing you said," Remus said.

"That parents should be with their children," Harry said.

"Parents should be with their children," Remus said, nodding. "You didn't tell me parents had to be exceptional or perfect or confident. You didn't even tell me that I was going to be a particularly good parent, either—which was quite fair of you. But by sending me back to Dora and back to Teddy, you saved my life, Harry."

"I didn't," Harry mumbled.

"You did," Remus nodded. "I refuse to let you be humble on this account, Harry. You saved me from making the biggest mistake I have ever even come _close _to making. And you were right."

He squeezed Harry's arm.

"You don't need to know what you're doing," Remus confided in him. "James didn't. I didn't. I'm sure Arthur Weasley didn't either. You'll learn as you go, like everyone does. Just be prepared to be with Ginny and to be with your child, whoever they end up being. You'll see; it'll turn out perfectly."

Harry chewed his lip.

"Do you really think I can do it, Remus?" he asked at last.

"Yes," Remus said. "I would swear an unbreakable vow to that effect, Harry. I've seen you with Teddy, with your little nieces and nephews. You will be brilliant."

Harry nodded with an encouraging and determined vigor, though he still seemed a little shaky and pale. Remus tried not to worry about that too much; parenthood was a constant state of anxiety, after all.

"Can I tell you something else?" Remus asked.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Congratulations," Remus smiled.

And with that, Harry smiled too.

* * *

**Stacked with: **Hogwarts; Shipping War; Spring Bingo; Link Maker; Chimera Creator

**Word Count: **1868


	23. Nostalgic Dances

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #9, Games & Sports Task #4 Write about a group (3 or more people) gathering for something.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Nostalgic Dances **

Dora returned, holding up the hem of her long black dress—which, from the waist up and down to where her sleeves ended at the wrist, was made entirely of lace. Her hair was a soft lilac, swept up into a chignon which he knew for a fact was the only formal hairstyle she knew how to execute. Andromeda followed her closely, wearing the only evening dress she owned and a pleased smile. His mother-in-law was a quiet and timid woman; being invited to the wedding meant a lot to her.

"Alright," she said, smiling at Teddy. "You look tired, my love. Being a ring bearer was a lot of work, wasn't it?"

"You did a great job," Harry said, running his hand over Teddy's hair. His wedding ring now glinted on his finger as he did. The little boy was slumped against Remus' chest. His little suit was getting rumpled in the process, but Remus didn't care much.

"Are you ready to go home for our sleepover?" Andromeda asked, reaching out for her grandson.

Remus kissed Teddy's head, which was covered in fluffy teal tufts.

"You remember about your sleepover at Grandma's, right Teddy?" he double-checked, to make sure Teddy knew what was going on. "You'll go to bed, maybe have a special breakfast tomorrow, and we'll come meet you and Grandma for lunch?"

"Mmm-hmm," Teddy said sleepily.

Dora laughed at how tired he was—they'd kept him up way, _way _past his bedtime.

"Goodnight, baby boy," Dora said, leaning down to kiss Teddy's forehead. "Have the sweetest dreams."

"Yes mama," he mumbled obediently. Remus bit back a laugh and kissed Teddy's fluffy hair before handing him over to Andromeda.

"Mum, you've got his bag, right? There's pajamas, a set of clothes for tomorrow, we packed his blanket and some books..." Dora asked.

"Yes dear," she said. "Don't you two worry about us—we'll be fine. Enjoy the festivities."

"Thanks Mum," Dora said.

"Thank you Andromeda, goodnight," Remus said. Andromeda propped Teddy on her hip and made her way out of the Harpies' Nest as her grandson fell asleep against her.

The Harpies' Nest was a country house with bountiful windows, high ceilings, and a wraparound porch that belonged to the Holyhead Harpies. It was built right next to their regular playing stadium—historically because many women had to lie to their families or leave their homes to play Quidditch when the game was originally segregated by gender. As Remus understood it (and remembered from James' obsessive talks), it often hosted incredible parties and was where most interviews with the players were held. During playoff season when their training and playing schedules were particularly grueling, the players reportedly even slept in the Nest.

Tonight, the house was decorated by glowing lanterns and an assortment of greenery. Remus spotted olive branches, baby's breath, vines, and eucalyptus. Every plank of the Nest's pine wood floor had become a dance floor, with most chairs and tables pushed aside and the party spilling over to all the rooms on the main floor. Remus saw people chattering and drinking on the porch outside too, while others sat to rest their feet or enjoyed a second helping of wedding cake. He saw Arthur and Molly as well as other various Weasleys dancing, some very drunken Quidditch players forming a conga line, Luna trying to teach Neville some of her dance moves, McGonagall sitting at the bar and eyeing the scene with a mixture of judgement and amusement…

"Thank you for lending Teddy," Harry said.

"Are you kidding? This was the most exciting thing he's ever done," Dora said. "Although, hey, feel free to count that as our wedding present to you."

Harry laughed and rolled up the sleeves of his dress-shirt, his jacket and vest having been discarded long ago. He loosened the golden tie around his neck too and popped his top button.

"Are you having a good night?" Dora checked in, arching an eyebrow so that he knew not to lie to her.

"The best," Harry smiled. "There are so many more people than I expected—Ginny said that sometimes happened when the Harpies partied, and I guess I forgot how many people _actually _worked in the Auror department. There's no press, though—Ron and Hermione have been checking in with security for me."

"That's wonderful," Remus said. He'd known how important a private wedding had been to Harry. The ceremony in one of Godric Hollow's parks this morning had been small, and the Harpies' Nest had been chosen as a venue partially because of how well-protected it already was.

"How about you guys?" Harry asked.

"It's a wonderful wedding," Dora promised.

"It is," Remus said. He looked over Harry's happy face one more time. He'd been wondering if he should say something all day, and finally he did. "You look very much like your father did on his wedding day."

Harry looked taken back for a second, and then he smiled. Remus knew that Harry had a few photos of his parents' wedding in his photo album of them.

"You know, I thought so too when I was getting ready," Harry said.

"He'd be proud," Remus said. Of course, James would have been proud of Harry had he been a professional bowtruckle charmer who only wore brown paper bags and shoes made of empty chocolate frog boxes. Besides, Harry had no responsibility to James (or anybody else for that matter). Remus simply felt a dual responsibility to act as James' mouthpiece and remind Harry of just how impressive and well he was doing.

"I hope so," Harry said. "Do you think he'd have liked Ginny? I mean, that doesn't matter, especially not now, but do you?"

"Are you kidding?" Remus asked. "She's a professional Quidditch player with an impressive Bat-Bogey Hex and enough sass to give him a taste of his own medicine. He would have loved her. Molly, though, he would be afraid of."

Harry laughed. He ran a hair through his already disheveled hair.

"I wish they were here," he said. "But I'm more happy that I'm here and that I've got this, with the people that we do have with us. It doesn't always feel better than it feels worst, but today it does."

"I'm happy that you have this day too," Remus said. "If I hadn't finished my champagne, I would toast to your long life and happiness."

"Hear, hear," Dora chimed in.

"I've got the best news!" Ginny said, dashing into their little circle and throwing an arm around Harry's waist. She seemed to notice Dora and Remus only as an afterthought. "Oh, sorry…"

"Not at all," Remus smiled. "Congratulations, Ginny."

"Thank you Remus," she smiled as she quickly let go of her new husband to hug Tonks. She did make a beautiful bride; her white dress was incredibly simple and striking only in the simplicity of its spaghetti straps and the elegance of the way it hit the floor and gathered briefly in a skirt. Her red hair was loose and dangling down her back. At some point, parts of it had been braided and pinned up—but there had been too much dancing and running and activity since they'd left the church. Remus was quite sure that Harry and Ginny had _flown _to their reception, frankly, which inevitably entailed a race between the two of them.

"What was your news?" Harry asked, turning back to Ginny.

"Bar's stocked up with Firewhisky again," she said. "You owe me a shot."

"Why?" Harry frowned. "I didn't lose that bet with Bill about—"

"I'm your wife now," Ginny said cheerfully. "From now on, assume you always owe me a shot. Let's go!"

She tugged on Harry's arm but he didn't resist too hard before following her back into the crowd and across the dance floor to the bar. Remus watched them go.

"Feeling nostalgic?" Dora asked, running her hands down his back before going back up to rest her arms on his shoulders. His hands went to her waist.

"You're good," he noted.

"I know that look on your face, you old sap," she told him. She was wearing earrings, which was quite unusual for her, and the way they dangled down when she moved and drew his attention to her eyes was astounding.

"I've known that boy his entire life," Remus said. "I saw him when he was only hours old. Merlin, I'm the one who bought Lily her pregnancy test when James was out on an Order mission and she started panicking."

"Don't tell Harry, that's far too much information for someone to have about their own gestational period," Dora said.

"Obviously I won't tell Harry," Remus said. Without realizing it, they'd started swaying to the music around them—a nice, soft romantic song now. Too bad the bride and groom were doing shots. "It's just… strange to be here with him now."

"You're handling it far better than Sirius who, last I saw, was drunk and being held up by his long suffering fiancé and little else," Dora said.

Remus smiled and tightened his hold on her, pulling her closer.

"What?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Nothing," he said with another smile. "I'm just… thinking about our wedding day now."

"Which one?" Dora asked with a smirk. "The time we eloped in a pub or the time we had a proper ceremony like proper adults?"

"Both were my favourite," Remus said.

Dora smiled at him.

"And you missed your friends both times," she said. She brushed a strand of hair out of his face. "You're allowed to be nostalgic and a little bit sad, Remus. Just don't let it eat you."

"I won't," Remus said.

"Good," Dora said. She leaned in. "Because I've been thinking about our wedding days too. More specifically, our wedding nights."

"Have you?" Remus said, grinning.

"I have," Dora said, nodding solemnly. Her fake composure broke and she smiled, which made Remus laugh in turn.

"Can we at least get through this dance?" he asked.

"If you insist," she said. "But don't you remember our _second _wedding night?"

Remus pondered this briefly.

"Alright," he said. "Lead the way."

* * *

**Stacked with: **Hogwarts; Shipping War; Spring Bingo; Link Maker; Chimera Creator

**Word Count: **1689

* * *

_**Spring Bingo **_

**Space (Prompt): **3E (Dance/Music)

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Spring Big List (Earring)


	24. Waking Up Safe

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #9, Potions Task #3 Write about someone taking a Blood-Replenishing Potion

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Waking Up Safe**

When Remus blinked, he registered the weight on his chest. It wasn't labouring his breath or sending him into an anxious wave about his body malfunctioning again. He craned his head and his head spun, but when the world came into focus again he saw a tuft of sky blue hair.

He wanted to raise his hand to touch Teddy's hair, but his arm felt weak. There was something in his arm—an intravenous line pumping a potion into his veins. Judging by the potion's viscocity and brick red colour, Remus thought it might be a Blood-Replenishing Potion. It was hard to think about it for too long.

"Hey," someone said. "Hey, Remus..."

"Dora?" he asked. His voice came out like a croak and he didn't like it. When he turned towards the sound of her voice, he saw her sitting at his bedside. Her hair was its usual shade of pink, the freckles splashed across her nose were all where they should be, and the shape of her lips was as it was when she didn't shift that particular feature of hers.

"You alright?" he asked. Rings surrounded her eyes and she looked pale. She was wearing a slouchy grey sweater with a hole in the elbow that she usually crawled into after long and bad days at work.

She laughed at his question.

"Me?" Dora asked. Her left eyebrow arched. "You're the one who… who just woke up…"

"What?" Remus asked. He looked around him and then registered that he was in a hospital room. He put a hand on Teddy's back.

"What happened?" Remus said. "I don't—wait, Harry went into the forest, and then…"

His memory was fuzzy after that.

"Harry's okay," Dora filled in, seeing him struggle. She pushed his hair out of his face and then choked on a sob as she laughed again. "The potions might be affecting your memory, but Harry's okay. You were hit by a curse during the second half of the battle, and they Healers have been working on building up your blood supply since—you've been out a day. But you're okay now. And Teddy's okay. And I'm… I'm concussed, but I'll be okay."

"We… we won," Remus asked. Teddy's hair was soft under his fingertips.

"We did," Dora said. She leaned forward and kissed him, resting her forehead against his for a second.

"It's..."

His hand drifted to rest on Teddy's back. The baby was sleeping and his little body was rising and falling. He was thankful that Teddy's breathing was so slow and steady and even—it grounded him. Remus felt dizzy. The fight he had spent most of his adult life fighting, the threat that had loomed over most of his life and taken so much from him and threatened everything and everyone he'd known…

"We're okay," Dora repeated. She sat up and wiped at her eyes. She breathed in deeply. "Okay, I… I can fill you in more later. It's a… it's a long story, and I promised I'd tell a Healer when you were awake."

"It's really over this time?" Remus asked before she could stand up and go.

"It is," Dora said. "Harry did it."

Remus moved his fingers back to Teddy's hair.

"We're safe," Remus said. "All of us we're… we're really safe now."

"We are," Dora said. "I should pick up Teddy before they see him on you, though. He's not technically supposed to be here, I sweet-talked his way into St. Mungo's. I told them he was a fighter like his dad, and they'd do better together."

"I don't need a Healer," Remus said—although that was probably wrong. His hand rested on Teddy's back and he became distinctly aware of how comfortable his pillow was. "Come here."

Dora nodded and got up from her chair to crawl into bed with him. Her hand rested on Teddy's back, over his.

And Remus had never been more thankful to be safe.

* * *

**Stacked with: **Hogwarts; Shipping War

**Word Count: 656**

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Spring Big List (Pillow)


	25. Definitely Old

**Author's note: **Happy 25th chapter! Thank you for all the reads and reviews thus far. It's good to know that I'm not the only one going strong on 10+ years of Deathly Hallows rejection! Seriously though, thank you for all your support. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Dedication: **Elizabeth!

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Definitely Old **

Frankly, it shocked Remus that they were trusted alone with the baby. Obviously he and Dora were reliable insofar as they had, after all, raised a baby successfully—but their granddaughter was _so _very small.

Remus always forgot how small babies were. The fact that this particular baby had sent all of them into a panic by coming into the world prematurely accentuated this, of course. But there she was, wrapped in her little lilac blanket and sleeping in Dora's arm while Teddy helped Victoire walk over to the vending machine to stretch her legs and get a snack.

"She's so beautiful," Remus said for what must be the hundredth time. He couldn't help it; the little girl had a tiny button nose, long eyelashes that fluttered as she slept, and thin little lips that seemed to smile and push up her rosy cheeks.

"So beautiful," Dora agreed. Remus reached down to fiddle with the blanket, to make sure that the infant was nice and cozy—something else he was doing for the hundredth time.

"Should we tell Teddy about the timing?" Dora asked.

"That she was born on our first wedding anniversary?" Remus asked. The day that they had first eloped, anyways. "He might think that's funny but… hmm, I don't know."

"This should be her day," Dora said.

"Agreed," Remus said. "Also, I think it's my turn to hold her."

"You _think _it's your turn?"

"I do."

"Hmm. I think it'll take far more than that to convince me to let go of this beautiful little girl," Dora said.

"I see that that's the kind of grandmother you'll be then," Remus said.

Dora's eyes filled with panic.

"Oh, Merlin," she said. "I'm a grandmother now…"

"You absolutely are," Remus said.

"Remus… Remus, that means we're old."

"No, no. I've always been old. As Sirius so lovingly puts it, I turned 12 and I was an old man drinking tea and wearing cardigans," Remus said. "Now _you'_re old too."

"Bloody hell," she breathed. Remus bit back a comment about old folks having enough manners not to swear in front of a baby. He just kissed the top of her head.

"Welcome to the club, Grandma."

Watching Dora age had been interesting, to say the least. Remus enjoyed seeing what, on any given day, she used her Metamorphmagus abilities to tamper with—whether it was the grey streaking her hair or the wrinkles on her face. She had always been rather laissez-faire with the way she shifted her body, leaving her features mostly true to their original state as could be and having fun with colours and shapes as she pleased. For the first time, there were days where the two of them seemed evenly matched.

Watching Dora age had been a privilege, more precisely. One that he couldn't have expected, one that had been so deeply endangered, and one which had led to this beautiful little girl in her arms. Remus accepted that he would have to bid his turn before holding the baby again, but reassured himself that there would be time. He would make time. He would find time to stay healthy and well enough to be a grandfather.

He moved from his spot on the couch's arm to sit next to Dora, putting an arm around her.

Teddy and Victoire came back then—the latter holding on to the former's arm and walking slowly but steadily. Her blonde hair was gathered in a braid that was falling apart and her bright blue eyes immediately refocused onto her daughter.

"She's still sleeping?" Victoire asked, as Teddy helped her back to bed.

"Like a log," Dora said.

"Any crazy colour-changing hair or shapeshifting noses we should know about?" Teddy asked.

"None either," Remus said.

"I might not be the only non-Metamorphmagus in the house after all," Victoire said cheerfully, shooting Teddy a teasing smile.

"Nah, I've got a feeling," Teddy said, pulling the blankets up above her legs again, tucking her in.

The two of them had always been close friends, since they were little. They had drifted apart at Hogwarts somewhat, surrounded by swarths of other children and friends, but had reconnected when Victoire had enrolled in Healer training as well. That hadn't stopped a general sense of shock and surprise when the two of them had sheepishly announced that they would be having a baby, but in the months that had passed since that initial shock and surprise… well, Remus had faith in them. He liked seeing Teddy with someone who took care of him just as much as he took care of her, and he liked the ways the two of them seemed to light each other up.

Victoire's watch chimed and she looked down.

"New hour," she announced. "Time to try out a new name, to see if this one sticks."

"Right," Teddy said. He reached for a list on the side table.

"So Céline isn't it, then?" Dora asked.

"No," Victoire said.

"That's probably for the best. It would make your mum think of Celina Warbeck, and the more we can avoid that, the better," Teddy said.

"Hadn't even thought of that," Victoire winced. "Good catch."

"Alright," Remus asked. "Well, what name are we trying now?"

"Marguerite," Teddy said, consulting their list.

Dora gasped a little.

"Marguerite," she repeated. "Oh, that's beautiful… But it's such a big name for a little girl… it could be Maggie for short, or Margo."

Suddenly she looked sheepish and bit back her lip.

"Sorry," she said. "Sorry, I'm not meddling or influencing—I promise!"

"Well maybe not on purpose, Mum, but when you say it like that…" Teddy drifted off and turned to look to Victoire who was smiling.

"Margo for short," Victoire repeated. She looked at Teddy and smiled. "Merlin, I'm a mess, I'm going to cry again, but… Little Margo Weasley Lupin… I mean, that's… that's really good."

"It is," Teddy said. He took one of her hands and ran his thumbs in circles against her palm before bringing it to his lips. "Is that our little girl?"

Victoire nodded and Teddy nodded back. Victoire turned back to Dora.

"Can I have her back?" she asked.

"Of course," Dora said, cradling the baby against her as she stood to give her back. It was such a sweet moment, Remus only felt a little bit jipped that he hadn't gotten a chance to hold her longer.

Dora came to crash down on the couch next to him and leaned into him.

"That's so sweet, I'm getting cavities," Dora said quietly, looking back towards Teddy and Victoire who were cuddling baby Margo.

"You'll have to get dentures, Grandma."

"Shut up," Dora said, though she did lean her head against him.


	26. Inked Up

**Author's note:** Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts:** Assignment #10, Perfumery Task #5, Write about someone overcome with lust/sexual desire.

Warnings: Suggestive content; not a lemon but citrusy

* * *

**Inked Up**

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Remus looked up from the book he was reading, tucked away on his usual spot on the sofa. Dora was sitting across from him in an armchair, going over some case files for work. She was frowning at him.

"I'm not looking at you like anything," Remus said. Even as he said it, he knew it was a lie because his eyes were drifting to her arms and…

"Oh my God," Dora said. She looked at him for a second before she burst out laughing. "It's the tattoos, isn't it? You're just looking at them..."

"No," Remus said. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh my God," Dora repeated, laughing some more. "You're into them."

Remus felt himself blushing which only made Dora smile more. She was preparing to go undercover, on various small meetings that would hopefully lead to her gaining entry to a black market dragon egg auction. She was under strict covers by Hestia Jones not to use her Metamorphagus abilities until the mission was all said and done, lest she compromise the disguise that the Auror Department had prescribed and created with her. And so Remus had been living with a hazel-eyed, brown-haired Dora who was a foot shorter than she usually was with a pierced lower-lip, an aquiline nose, and… well yes, arms covered in ink. There was an owl sitting on a branch under a moon and stars taking up her left bicep, a menagerie of snakes slithering their way up her right forearm, planets and their moons, a mandrake, a series of potion vials lining her left forearm, moths circling a lantern, ivy curling around her wrists, a host of other flowers filling the space…

"I didn't know you were into tattoos," Dora said, tilting her head to the side and smiling.

"I… I'm not," Remus said. "I'm into you."

"But the sleeves are pretty hot, aren't they?" Dora said, flat-out. She shrugged off the flannel she'd thrown over her tank top to reveal more of her arms and the art that now decorated them. It had taken Dora weeks to carefully manipulate the pigment of her skin, line by line and dot by dot, to fill in both of the sleeves that now covered her arms.

"They're beautiful," Remus said, desperately wanting out of this conversation and back to his book.

"Lots of things are beautiful," Dora said, putting her case files and paperwork down on the coffee table to free her arms. She leaned forwards. "But you can say it. You were looking at them because they're pretty hot."

While Remus tried to figure his way out of this, Dora grinned and got up. She circled the coffee table and plucked his book from his hands, tossing it aside for now.

"You were on page 217, for future reference," she said before sitting down, straddling his hips. His hands went to her waist, instinctively.

"You're allowed to be into them, even if they're not part of my usual get-up," Dora said. She leaned forwards to kiss his ear and she added, "I think they're sexy too."

She kissed a particularly sensitive spot along his jawline and then it was game over for Remus. His hands held her hips more firmly and he flipped them, so that she was laying back on the couch and he was no longer sitting but leaning over her.

He leaned down to kiss her neck and made his way down her shoulder. Dora laughed and reached up to run her hands through his hair.

"Someone's pent up," she teased.

"You've been walking around with those for three days," Remus said. His lips brushed her collarbone and he felt her shiver. "Three. Days."

"Three days is a long time," she said, wrapping her legs around his waist. "One might wonder why you're being a tease instead of just kissing me, then."

He obliged and kissed her, and she kissed him back. One of his hands found the bottom of her tank top, riding up, and without breaking away she started working on the buttons on his shirt—she was very good at multitasking.

So all things considered, things were going quite well until the front door opened.

"EWE!"

Remus shot up and looked back to see Teddy standing in the doorway, purple-haired, wide-eyed, and horrified.

"Teddy!" Dora said, also shooting up and readjusting her tank top and pulling it over her unbuttoned jeans as she did. She smoothed back her hair. "Teddy, you're home early."

"Yeah, it started raining and we called off the football game," Teddy said—which explained why he was dripping. He sounded both disgusted and extremely regretful about his return.

"Kettle's boiled if you want tea or hot chocolate," Remus offered, very conscious of how disheveled his clothes were.

"Hot chocolate? Hot… no. No. This is terribly uncomfortable and I want to never think about this again," Teddy said, slamming the flat door behind him and stomping off to his room.

"And for the record, the living room is a _public space!_" Teddy called back before slamming his bedroom door.

Remus turned back to Dora and they gave Teddy a few seconds before bursting out laughing. Remus leaned back into the couch, giggling.

"Well that's one scarring childhood experience down," Remus said in between laughs.

Dora laughed harder. "Should we go give him a talk and go over safer sex potions now, or give it a few hours?"

"The talk about consent should go first," Remus said.

"Mmm, good point," Dora said. She stretched her arms around the neck. "Well, the good news is that I'll have these on for a few days." She leaned forwards and kissed Remus lightly. "Better luck next time."

* * *

**WC:** 958

* * *

**Shipping Wars**

**Ship (Team):** Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt):** NA


	27. The Other Moon Cooperative

**Author's note: **Hey, remember when I said this would be a drabble series? Well, this chapter exploded because I have a lot of feelings about how broken the world and its justice and criminal systems are right now. In other news, the Google doc in which I write these out has hit 100 pages of content. Anyways, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #11, Poetry Studies Task #10, Write about someone being the 'voice' for a group/someone else.

**Warnings: **Canon-compliant prejudice and discrimination (lycanthrope)

* * *

**The Other Moon Cooperative **

Remus' hands curled around his mug of butterbeer. He wasn't technically the designated chaperone for today's Hogsmeade trip, but he knew that his students were bound to wander into The Three Broomsticks eventually and he'd rather not start rumours that their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was an alcoholic.

When Noah, the young wizard sitting across from him, had grown quiet and stayed quiet for a few beats, Remus spoke up again.

"I'm sorry that happened, but glad that you told me. They're not allowed to ask you for and make a copy of your identification unless the Wizengamot has opened a criminal file against you—a Department for the Regulation and Care of Magical Creature file on its own doesn't give them grounds to track you like that. It's alright that you didn't know; they were supposed to. I would be happy to go to the Ministry and sort it out with you," Remus offered.

"No, I wouldn't want to bother you," Noah said, scratching the back of his head.

"It wouldn't be a bother," Remus said. "If you're having issues with the Department, you should know that they're more likely to stay within their limits if you don't go alone."

"Seriously?" Noah asked suspiciously.

"Seriously," Remus nodded. "Even Andrew and Abigail and those of us who have been in the system long try not to go alone. During the war, when they were doing spontaneous and unregulated checks on registry members, they would leave nearly immediately if I was with my wife but harass me if I was alone."

"Seriously?" Noah asked.

"Yes," he said, nodding again. "Granted, she's an Auror and can be quite frightening when she puts her mind to it. Not that that should be necessary."

"I was talking to Crystal the other day, and she said you're good at getting the Department to cooperate," Noah said. "She says you can be scary calm or scary badass."

"Crystal I think has probably seen me at my angriest," Remus said with a grin. "The Ministry was trying to take away her child before her first Full Moon, and I was advocating for her on my son's first birthday. I had to get some sense into them in time for cake."

It was the incident with Crystal and her son, actually, that had snapped Remus' patience like a twig. He had only been able to step in and advocate on her behalf because he happened to have the rules and legislation regarding lycanthropes memorized, having been subjected to them for most of his life, and because Arthur had been working late and had overheard a conversation in the elevator that had worried him. He'd asked Remus a quick question about it while they were getting the Burrow set up for Teddy's birthday dinner, and Remus had immediately bounced to the Ministry.

The absolute random string of events it had taken for Crystal to keep her boy had convinced Remus that something more needed to be done. Since everybody knew that he was a werewolf already, thanks to Severus Snape and _The Daily Prophet, _Remus couldn't be threatened with publicity anymore—and there was privilege and safety that came from being married to an Auror. And with an Order of Merlin back home and a position at Hogwarts… well, he'd finally thought that he was in a place to do more.

He'd told Abigail about it first, since she was one of his oldest friends—bitten by Fenrir Greyback as well in the early days of the First Wizarding War. She'd loved the idea, and so had Andrew—whom he had met while visiting Arthur in the hospital all those years ago. Each of them knew a handful of other werewolves, including a few from Fenrir Greyback's inner pack who had been looking for ways to slip away.

Noah's smile flickered on his face for a second.

"How old is your son now?" Noah asked.

"Fifteen," Remus said. "He's actually at Hogwarts."

"Nice," Noah said conversationally. Then, he asked the question that Remus knew was really on his mind. "Is he..?"

Noah couldn't actually get the words out, but Remus knew what he meant to ask. He had heard this question a thousand times—sometimes by people who deserved or should know, like Andromeda or Sirius or Harry. Sometimes from complete strangers, who Remus wanted to send packing since Teddy's life and health and wellbeing was none of their business. More often than not, he heard whispers and rumours about his son and the kind of life he led. Those were the most annoying and the most unnerving. They used to really bother Remus, when Teddy was younger. But when other werewolves asked… well, Remus told them. Sometimes, he told new werewolves before they even asked—when they were mourning the lives and futures and families they had hoped for and expected.

"No," Remus said. "He isn't a werewolf. Our condition is infectious, not genetic."

"He's normal? That's… that's good," Noah said. He was twisting his hands together as they spoke. "Nobody had told me that people like us could have kids without passing it on before."

Noah nodded, mulling over this new knowledge.

"And your wife, she knew you were a werewolf, right?" Noah asked. "I mean, someone told me that you were bitten as a little kid, so…"

"She did," Remus said. "She knew when we became friends and she always insisted it didn't matter to her."

"She sounds really cool," Noah said shyly.

"She is," Remus said with a smile. "There are really cool people out there, Noah. You'll find them. Just give it time."

Noah nodded.

"I think it would be good if you came with me to the Ministry, so I could get my Apparating license back," he finally said. "I… I think it might help to have you there."

"Of course," Remus said. "When were you thinking of going?"

"Maybe Monday, when they open again," Noah said. "Is that okay? Are you working?"

"I have time," Remus promised. He would tell the seventh years that he had an errand to run and give them free time to study for their NEWTS; they would love that. "I can meet you in London, if you would like."

"Yeah," Noah said. "Yeah, that would be great. Maybe… they open at 9:00, so maybe we could be there by 8:45. Sometimes they lie about a waiting list for meetings because agents don't want to be alone with werewolves, I remember you telling me that..."

"That sounds like a good plan," Remus said, happy that Noah had remembered. "Are you still living in the flat Diana and I found you?"

Diana was a Muggle woman, but her brother had been Hogwarts-educated. He'd been lost to Fenrir Greyback's pack, and he had died at some point during the war—Remus was still trying to find out more for her. Diana had been resourceful enough to elbow her way back into the wizarding world as she tried to find answers for him. She had stumbled across Remus' name since he had a reputation, if nothing else, and had found a way to get in touch with him.

She was the only non-werewolf and Muggle member of what Abigail jokingly called the Other Moon Cooperative, but she was arguably the most useful since she was something of a real estate tycoon in London and its suburbs. Amongst her many other achievements, she had secured a four-bedroom house for them in Hackney, which currently served as both a base and a home for five people (since Luke was still getting over his time with Greyback and preferred camping in the backyard for the time being). Currently, she was working on helping them purchase what had once been a hostel for travelers in Soho—that way people could drop by for shelter, food, and information privately, even if they didn't want to be known to the cooperative or anything of the sort. Remus thought it may be their best way to reach members of Greyback's pack.

"Yes," Noah nodded. "Yes, it's nice. I like it there. I'm happy."

"Good," Remus said.

"I… I don't think I'm strong enough to work yet," Noah said. "I'm still sick for so long before and after the full moon."

"That's alright," Remus said. "The first few transformations have that effect. Your rent is taken care of for another few months, Noah, you have time to adjust. And if you need more, I'm sure we can think of something."

"I want to work again," Noah said. "I mean, I can't go back to my old job—they've already sacked me, but I want to… I want things to go back to normal."

"They'll go back to _a _normal," Remus said gently. "We'll find you something when you're ready."

They had a pretty good track record of finding work for werewolves; George had been a big help as far as that was concerned, what with Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes constantly growing. Andrew's brother had finally come around to him being bitten, and he'd hired his fair share of werewolf employees as groundskeepers and stablehands at his unicorn breeding operation. The end goal, of course, was to change the legal frameworks that made it harder for werewolves to find work and even to convince the Wizengamot that some anti-discrimination laws were in order. But, for now, this helped.

"Have you spoken to your family recently?" Remus asked as gently as he could.

Noah looked skittish and didn't meet Remus' eyes.

"There's no wrong answer," Remus reassured him.

"I haven't," Noah said. "I… I wanted to be put-together first, before I… before they had to know I was bitten."

"I understand," Remus said.

Noah looked a little relieved when he said so, but his eyes still swirled with worry and kindness.

"You only ever need to do what you're ready to do," Remus said. "But I will tell you that my family put me together, over and over again. If waiting helps, wait. But don't feel like you must."

"Yeah," Noah said. He brushed his hair back and tucked it behind his ear. "My little sister turned 16 last week. I… I wish I'd been there."

"You can always send a belated card," Remus suggested.

The idea sparked Noah's interest.

"Do you think she'd want to hear from me?"

"I think so. Do you need to borrow an owl? There's one at the house you can use," Remus offered. Then again, the house was usually quite busy and full of activity and noise and people. Noah might be too shy for that, so Remus offered another option. "There's also a very nice paper and stationary shop down the street. If you want to go get a card, I can mail it to your sister from the school."

"Yeah?" Noah asked.

"Of course," Remus said.

Noah chewed his lip. He reached into his pocket and took out a pocket watch—a nice bronze object covered in runes that he must have received for his seventeenth birthday. Noah had run away from home after being bitten, but Remus was happy to see that he had a piece of home with him.

"I have some money on me," he mused, looking at the time. He closed the pocket watch and nodded to himself. "Yes, I should go do that. Are you going to be here..?"

"I'm in no rush to go back to the castle," Remus said. "I have a good book with me and plenty of grading I'm eager to avoid back in my office."

Noah grinned.

"Okay, I'll go do that," he said. "How much are butterbeers here?"

"I've got it," Remus said. "Thank you for the company."

Noah hesitated but then he smiled and mumbled his thank yous.

"I'll be right back," Noah said. He slid out of the booth and was quickly replaced by Teddy, who sported a shaved head aside from an orangey, pinkish coral mohawk today. His eyes were their usual chocolate brown and the freckles across his nose. He had his mouth wrapped around the straw of a chocolate milkshake, one of Madam Rosmerta's specialities on warm days—though Remus had seen Teddy eat ice cream in the middle of winter.

"Hey," Teddy said.

"Hello," Remus said—surprised but pleased. "I thought you were with friends."

"Victoire's on a date and Micky and Riley keep sucking face," Teddy said. "It's annoying."

"Well, I'm touched to be your fourth choice," Remus said, though he couldn't help but grin. It was strange to spend so much time _near _Teddy during the school year, and good to have true time alone together.

"Who were you talking to?" Teddy asked.

"His name is Noah," Remus said. "He's a recently bitten werewolf."

"That's rough," Teddy said. "He looks really young."

"He is," Remus said. "He's a friend of the cooperative's now. We talked about you, actually."

"Yeah?" Teddy asked. "Because of my rugged good looks?"

"Well, he asked me if my son was normal," Remus said.

"Yeah?" Teddy said. "And that did you say."

"I said 'Define normal.'" Remus said. Teddy made a face and playfully kicked him under the table, and Remus couldn't help but laugh.

"I did, I told him you didn't have a single speck of lycanthrope in you," Remus said. "You're quite the beacon of hope, you know."

"But no pressure," Teddy said.

"No pressure," Remus said. He smiled. "It just helps people who think they've lost everything, to know that they can still have a safe and healthy family."

Teddy nodded, taking another sip of his milkshake.

"I can't believe you didn't know before I was born," Teddy said. "I mean, Mum's mentioned that I was a surprise, but someone should have told you."

"People didn't talk back then," Remus said. "We had too much to lose. Even if we did, it's possible that nobody would have known."

Teddy shook his head, still thinking it was ridiculous.

"Was it scary?" Teddy asked. "To not know?"

"It was terrifying," Remus said. "I was scared out of my mind, Teddy. I wanted you to have a good life. For some time, I thought… I thought you would be better off without me."

Teddy arched an eyebrow.

"That's kind of stupid, Dad," Teddy said. "No offence."

"No, you can say it," Remus said. "It was foolish, but a lot of stupidity is simply fear in disguise."

"That's deep," Teddy said.

"It's not," Remus said. "I'm speaking from experience. I nearly walked away back then."

Teddy frowned.

"Really?" Teddy asked.

Remus nodded. He didn't feel good saying the words, but what he'd told Noah was true: his family had put him together and built him up to be a thousand times the man he might otherwise had been. Teddy deserved to understand that as deeply as Remus could communicate it.

"I was so afraid of passing my condition on to you and absolutely terrified of what kind of prejudice I would bring on to you…" Remus said. "I thought if I got myself killed during the war with Voldemort, well at least I would have died doing something useful for you and the world you would live in."

Teddy looked at Remus long and hard before shaking his head.

"I can't believe you did that. I can't believe you thought that," Teddy said.

"I can't believe so either, now that we're here," Remus said. "I love you."

"I love you too," Teddy said. He was still frowning. "I'm sorry, I…"

"You can be mad," Remus offered.

"I just can't imagine my life without you," Teddy said—which broke Remus' heart a little bit. "It definitely… it wouldn't have been better."

Remus' stomach twisted.

"I'm glad you think that," he finally said. Teddy grabbed his milkshake and circled the table to come sit next to Remus, curling up against him like he'd done when he was much smaller. Remus wrapped an arm around him and felt his own eyes tear up a little bit.

"Is that why you spend so much time working with the cooperative?" Teddy asked.

"So that nobody feels that desperate and lost again?" Remus asked. He paused. "Yes."

* * *

**Word: 2690 **


	28. Welcome Home

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #11, Transfigurations Task #4, Write a fic from a creature's pov (or part-creatures)

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Welcome Home**

When Remus pushed the door open, he didn't expect the balloons to come tumbling down from above. The fact that Dora and Teddy started laughing as soon as they did, however, did not surprise him half as much.

"Hello," Remus said, stepping into their flat now. He smiled as he found a balloon-free spot to lay down his trunk, which was full enough of books to be heavy despite the feather-light charm he had cast on it. A late balloon fluttered down and Remus caught it.

"What's all this for?" he asked.

"Mum put balloons up for me and I thought you should get them too," Teddy explained. Before Remus could respond to that, Teddy had weaseled his way across the avalanche of balloons and wrapped his arms around Remus' waist—ignoring the fact that Remus was soaking wet and from the rain.

Remus threw an arm over his shoulders and kissed the top of his head before looking up to see Dora. She was wearing a denim skirt and a sweater that was bulky and worn enough to probably be his. Her hair was an aquamarine color that Teddy quite liked and she'd piled it on top of her head messily. Behind her, Remus saw a picnic blanket laden with a bottle of wine, soda for Teddy, and boxes of pizza whose warm and comforting smell was filling up the flat. It made him smile; Dora always knew how to make special occasions joyous.

No matter how hungry he was after spending the last three days closing up the castle for the summer with the other Hogwarts professors, he couldn't look away from Dora and the smile on her face.

"Welcome home," she said, opening her arms.

Remus kissed the top of Teddy's equally aquamarine hair again before gently nudging him away so that he could throw off his coat, leaving it on the ground, and make his way to Dora. She was shorter than he was today, and his hug was so vigorous that her toes nearly left the ground. She laughed against his button-down shirt and only looked up when he put her back down.

"Hi," she said simply and happily.

"Hi," Remus said, smiling down. He knew that he missed Dora when he was teaching at Hogwarts, but when he came back to her or when she came to visit over Christmas or Easter, or on the first day of summer like this one… well, Remus realized just how much he _really _missed her. He was thankful to have work (meaningful work that he actually enjoyed and that actually made a difference to), not to mention that he loved seeing Teddy during the school year. Still, there was a lot of Dora to miss.

He leaned down and kissed her. She tasted like vanilla lip balm and coffee (probably from spending her entire work day chugging the stuff).

"How was your trip home?" she asked, pushing a piece of hair back behind his ear.

"It was fine," Remus said. "I'm happy to be home."

"I can tell," Dora smiled. "Maybe I didn't need to get pizza after all."

"Oh no," he said. "Pizza is good."

"It's been smelling good for ages," Teddy whined.

"So impatient," Dora said, clucking her tongue though the look she shot Teddy was fond. "Alright, give your dad a chance to change and we'll dig in."

Once Remus was wearing dry and more comfortable clothes, they had their pizza picnic in the living room—listening to the sound of the rain against the windowpane and to stories about each others' days. Teddy had been enjoying his first few days back from school by sleeping in. The neighbourhood children had been playing pick-up football at the park and he'd been out and about on his bicycle a lot. Dora had been working on a new program the Auror Department had launched to help survivors of Dark magic brush up on Defense Against the Dark Arts skills. It was taking up quite a bit of her time but she did seem to love it, and she got to work with Harry quite a bit.

Teddy put away dishes and retired to his room to play videogames, a Muggle pastime they had nudged him towards so that he would have something to talk about with the extended Tonks cousins and the other boys who lived in their apartment building. The two of them stayed behind in the living room, and with Teddy gone, Dora scooted across the picnic blanket to come sit on his lap and curl up against him. He leaned against the wall and pulled her hairpin out of her hair so that he could play with it. The smell of her shea butter shampoo was a plus; the Full Moon was close enough that Remus' nose was especially sensitive to it, but far enough that it didn't give him a headache or overwhelm his senses.

"I missed you," Remus told her again—even if she already knew. He wrote it into most of his letters and greeted her with that reminder every time they met in the village for a drink or every time he snuck away from the castle when he wasn't on call as Head of Gryffindor House to see her.

"Of course you did," Dora teased. Remus laughed and his fingers kept lazily tangling in her hair.

"I miss you so much, sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it," Remus said. "To be away from you for so long…"

"Of course it is," Dora said again with that no-nonsense Auror tone of hers. "You wouldn't get to come home if you didn't go."

"I suppose that's true," Remus said.

"These are some of my favourite moments with you," Dora said. She nuzzled into his chest.

"Really?" Remus asked.

"Yes," Dora said. "It's like spring becoming summer again."

Remus smiled and his stomach twisted with appreciation and love.

"I love coming home to you too," he said.

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Spring Medium 1 (Pizza)

**Word count: **995


	29. Lost and Found

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #12, Alchemy, Task #2 Write about something important that's made from gold or silver.

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**Lost and Found**

Remus muttered to himself, cusses and exclamation pouring out of his mouth at a pace of a hundred miles an hour. Thankfully, the aquamarine-haired baby strapped to his chest was passed out cold and not catching any of the profanity or frantic frustration as Remus tore their flat apart, trying to find it.

"A year," he muttered to himself. "You've been married less than a _year _and you've already lost it…"

His eyes darted to the kitchen clock anxiously. When he saw the time, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest, through his throat, and out of its mouth in what would surely have been classified a mercy killing. Dora would be home any minute now and he _still _hadn't found his wedding ring. His inability to carry through one of his usual nervous tics—reaching down to twist the simple gold band around his finger—frustratingly reminded him of that fact.

"Merlin's fucking beard," he sighed, looking around the flat again for a place he hadn't already looked for the ring. He'd only taken it off for a moment while he changed Teddy, on account of how particularly and nefariously odorous the baby's diapers were today. Then he'd tossed away the old diaper, put a new one on the baby, blown a raspberry on his tummy to make him laugh, buttoned up his onesie again, read him a book, heated the bottle for him…

His mind gravitated to the worst possible outcome, possibly as a coping mechanism to prepare for the horrific eventuality that he had accidentally tossed his wedding ring in an especially pungent and wet nappy…

The front door lock clicked and the doorknob turned, announcing Dora's return.

"Hullo," she called into the house. He heard the sound of her boots hitting the floor as she kicked them off. "What an entirely garbage day at work. I don't believe the nerve of some of these Aurors—protesting against legal reforms when we so clearly need them after everything that's happened in the past year…"

He heard footsteps as Dora stepped down the entrance hall of their flat and peered into the living room, which was a complete and total mess. Couch cushions upturned, bookcase disordered, coffee table covered in old newspapers and mail, radio at the wrong spot… She arched an eyebrow before looking up at Remus, confused.

"Don't be mad," Remus said.

"Why would I be mad?" Dora asked, looking around.

"I lost my wedding ring," Remus blurted. "I took it off just for a second because Teddy's stomach is _so _disagreeing with that new formula of his and then I lost it and I'm so, so sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Dora said. She looked around the upturned living room. "But, quick question, I did marry a wizard, yeah?"

"Yes," Remus asked for a second. Dora looked at him square in the eyes, drew her wand, and without breaking eye contact cast: '_Accio wedding band!' _

Remus felt a tiny pull against him. He frowned, but when it persisted he took Teddy out of the wrap he'd been carrying him in. A little gold ring flew out from between the buttons of Teddy's onesie and straight into Dora's waiting hand. She smirked at him.

"Ah," Remus said. "Yes, I suppose I could have done that…"

Dora's smirk didn't die down but she did manage not to laugh at him as she walked over. She slid the wedding ring back onto his finger and kissed his cheek.

"Long day?" she asked.

"You could say that," Remus said. "I promise, I meant to find it and clean up before you got home."

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" Dora asked. Her arms snaked around his waist. "You're a terrible liar."

"I'm not, actually," Remus promised. "I'm just horrible at lying to you."

* * *

**Word count: **632


	30. The Most Important Role

**Author's note: **Well, well, well. For chapter 30 and to celebrate 100 reviews, I wanted to do something special and so I figured I would call back to a chapter you folks seemed to enjoy very much. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** Chronic/terminal illness; hospital setting

* * *

**The Most Important Role**

When the door of the examination room opened, it wasn't Remus' Healer who walked in but Teddy. Remus sighed from his hospital bed, where he was making the best of scratchy sheets and stiff pillows.

"What the hell happened this time?" Teddy asked, shutting the door behind him and hurrying over.

"Teddy…" Remus said. He'd known that Teddy would find out shortly once he'd been admitted, but hadn't quite thought of something to tell his son.

"Don't 'Teddy' me," his son muttered, shutting the door behind him and hurrying over. The back of his hand automatically grazed Remus' forehead, searching for a fever, before he took Remus' pulse. "How could you not call me?"

"You're my son, not my Healer," Remus said—not for the first time and definitely not the last.

"Either or," Teddy mumbled. He whispered a quick _lumos _and flashed a light in Remus' eyes, seeing how his pupils followed the motion. He paled at the result.

"That," Remus said finally. "That is the reason I didn't call you."

Teddy tucked his wand into the light blue pocket of his healers' robe. He crossed his arms and looked at Remus with angry, sea green eyes—a colour he was favouring now to match his daughter's eyes. Once Teddy had graduated from Hogwarts and moved out of home, it had become a sort of game to guess what he would look like the next time they saw him. Sometimes he and Dora placed bets. The turquoise hair he was currently sporting, the natural freckles he was allowing to show, and the pierced nose and cartilage were a fairly regular look. They probably spoke to a busy and chaotic morning in his household and a quick dash out the door and to work.

"I'm allowed to worry," Teddy said. "Especially… especially since it's never been this bad before."

"You're right," Remus said. "It hasn't."

Quite simply, he had woken up this morning, after the full moon, and only one of his eyes had returned to its human form and shape and colour. His left eye sat in its socket unseeing, amber and rounder than it should be. It wasn't entirely wolfish—thank Merlin—but it wasn't quite human either. The fact of only having one functioning eye had thrown off Remus' balance and, combined with his usual post-transformation exhaustion, had led to a botched apparition home. He had splinched his hand just badly enough for Dora to march him to St. Mungo's before he'd even had a chance to argue or ask to take a nap or a shower first. They were in-between Healers now and so she'd gone up to the café to get them coffee.

"Who healed your hand?" Teddy asked, gently raising Remus' bandaged hand to examine what he could see of it.

"A healer in training named Sanchez," Remus said.

"They made you see a healer in training?" Teddy scoffed. He softened soon after. "Well, Sanchez is good."

"He was," Remus said. "How's Margo doing? And Victoire?"

"Don't distract me by asking me about my very pregnant wife or my adorable daughter who is doing very well and eating mushy peas like a champ," Teddy said grumpily. He looked up at Remus, meeting his gaze. "Dad, this is much worse than you had told me."

"It's never been this bad," Remus said. "I never lied to you."

Teddy sighed and ran his hands over his eyes.

"Can I read your chart?" he asked.

"No," Remus said. "Absolutely not."

"Then will you at least tell me what Healer you're waiting to see?" Teddy asked.

"Healer Applebridge," Remus said. "Do you approve of him more or less than you approve of Sanchez?"

Teddy sighed.

"Dad, that's the head healer," Teddy said. "He rarely sees patients anymore, he only consults on difficult cases."

"I'll try not to be too difficult," Remus promised—but Teddy wasn't having it.

"Dad," he repeated.

"Teddy, I'm sick and exhausted and nauseous and hot and cold all at once," Remus said. "I _know _how ill I am. I _know _how bad of a shape I'm in. I _know _that lycanthrope does not age well. I don't need you telling me these things."

"I'm the only Healer who goes out of their way to see lycanthropic patients," Teddy said. "I'm the only one who tries to understand how werewolves' bodies are affected by the changes, during and after full moons, and who tries to specialize to help them."

"I know," Remus said. He put his good hand on Teddy's shoulder and squeezed. "I've sent many people in need of kindness your way."

"Then let me help you too," Teddy said, swatting Remus' hand away. He sat on the edge of Remus' beds and one of his hands wound itself in the bedsheets. "Take my help. There… there isn't a whole lot known about what lycanthrope looks like when people age because… because people die young and they don't trust medical systems. But I can help if you let me, I know I could. I do what I do because of you, Dad, let me do it for you."

Teddy's voice cracked and Remus' resolve nearly did as well.

"Teddy, I don't want to be your patient, I want to be your father," Remus said. "We both know that I couldn't be both and the latter… the latter's the most important thing to me. It's been the pride of my life, Teddy."

Teddy looked away, blinking. Remus reached out and took his hand.

"No matter what happens to me and my body, I… I want to be your father," Remus said. "Just that. We'll find out, month by month, how bad the transformations become and what I may need to weather them. We'll find out how badly they're affecting my body and what limit there is to how much I recover every time. But no matter how much good you could do as a Healer, which I'm sure would be an awful lot, you would do so much more by being my son."

Teddy took deep, even breaths to even out his rocky breathing. Then he looked back to Remus.

"Can I ask as your son how you're doing, then?" Teddy asked. "And if I… if I go take my Healer robes off and ask for the day off and stay with you…"

"I would be so incredibly grateful," Remus said.

Teddy nodded.

"Okay," Teddy said. "Okay, when Mum… when Mum comes back and can keep you company, I'll go do that."

"Okay," Remus said. They sat in quiet after that, until Dora returned from the hospital's café—sporting worn jeans that hung too low on her hips, the first sweatshirt she'd pulled off the ground, and a pink ponytail streaked with grey, since she hadn't bothered to color in her hair today yet. She was going to say something but paused when she saw the two of them. She put down the two cups of coffee she was holding on the tray of instruments by the door and crossed the room. She wrapped an arm around Teddy and leaned her cheek against the top of his hand, reaching out to Remus with the other. The three of them stood in silence for some time.

"We'll manage this," she said finally. "We're a strong little family."

"We are," Remus said again. "I've never been more thankful."

* * *

**Word count: **1225


	31. First Night Out

**Author's note: **Enjoy! Also if you have a second to support a really cool initiative, check out the Trans Wizard to Tournament! Fan artists including myself are auctioning off written and visual work in exchange for donations to trans organizations.

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**First Night Out **

He swirled the wine in his glass and tried to settle down in his chair and relax. There was, after all, no reason to be stressed right now. He and Dora were just sitting in a restaurant, about to have a meal—a nice meal, by the look of the place that they had chosen. It was a Muggle restaurant too, and they'd snatched a table in the corner which meant that they were set for a rather quiet meal away from any interruptions and stares. Well, no more stares than Remus usually got for the scars on his face, anyways.

Dora was sitting across from him looking equally preoccupied and faraway, but far more beautiful. Her hair was swept up in a chignon and turned a deep purple for the occasion, which Remus recognized as the shade she'd worn when they'd eloped. It made sense, given that that was what they were here to celebrate. She was wearing a little black dress that wrapped around her loosely like a kimono, and her crystal blue eyes were lined with kohl. Remus wondered what had inspired the colour today since it wasn't one of her most frequent shades. Teddy's eyes had been blue all day; he wondered if Dora was thinking of him too. It was nearly all Remus could think about now.

He reached out across the table and Dora came back to reality and took his hand. He squeezed her fingers and she smiled.

"Wine's good," she said. "I haven't drank in ages."

"I'm glad it's worthwhile, then," he said. He poured her another glass from the bottle on their table and nudged it towards her when she didn't notice.

"Sorry," she said. She tipped her glass in a little toast before taking a sip. "I'm just worrying that Teddy's being colicky for Mum—he's been colicky all day."

"His afternoon nap really seemed to help," Remus pointed out.

"True," Dora said. "Then again, he might be due to crash… well, I was colicky, so Mum knows what she's doing."

"That she does," Remus said. "I did laundry this morning and showed her where the extra blankets were. They should smell like us enough to help."

"Nice touch," Dora said. Then she reached out and squeezed his hand across the table again. "Sorry, we shouldn't be talking about the baby—we're supposed to be real life adult humans right now."

"It is unnerving, a little bit," Remus said. Under the table, his foot was tapping the floor. "Just, you know… to be away from him."

"I know," Dora said. "It's the first time we've left him alone."

"Well, we did leave him to fight at Hogwarts," Remus pointed out. The war had been only a month ago, but Remus did not relish the memory of the night he had rushed to the castle, not knowing if he would come home and coming close not to seeing his wife or his son again at all…

"That doesn't count," Dora said, waving him away with her free hand. "There was far more adrenaline and just about an apocalypse involved."

"True," Remus said. "This is just… us. Well, not _just _us."

"We're not _just _anything," Dora said with a grin. She squeezed his hand.

"No," Remus said. "No we're not. I know it's been a difficult year. It's been… nearly impossible at times. But I wouldn't have made it through this war without you. You're everything to me. You and Teddy."

Dora smiled and brought his hand to her lips to kiss his knuckles.

"Teddy whom I'm quite missing right now," Remus admitted sheepishly.

"So much," Dora echoed, shaking her head. "Far more than is reasonable, frankly."

"Absolutely," Remus said. "It's madness, really."

"This baby's ruined us," Dora said. Remus laughed again. They rarely ever went out—it had been unwise for Order of the Phoenix members to wander about in public more than necessary over the last two years, after all, and at times Remus' lack of work had made things tight. Tonight had been supposed to be special, but neither of their hearts were into it.

"Well, maybe we don't order dinner," Remus said. "Maybe we just take the rest of this wine and order dessert to go and curl up in bed, with Teddy safely in our line of sight?"

"I would love that," Dora said. She looked over her shoulder, scanning the restaurant for their waiter. She turned back to him and smiled. "Well, maybe we can grab two bottles of wine."

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Summer Medium 2 (Holding Hands)

**Word count: **750


	32. Nothing to Say

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** Grief; references funeral

* * *

**Nothing to Say **

Teddy was mostly sorted out; he was cooling off in his room and playing video games. Earlier he'd asked if he could go have supper at Harry's and hang out with Jamie, Al, and Lily to take his mind off of things, and Remus was happy that Dora had given him her blessing—that way she would have tonight to herself. He was still upset, which went without saying, but Remus thought that Teddy would be okay.

He shut Teddy's bedroom door behind him and crept down the hall to their bedroom. He pushed the door open and saw Dora exactly where he'd left her, staring into the mirror propped up on the dresser. She'd taken one of her earrings out but seemed too unfocused to do anything more from there.

She looked up when he walked into the room and opened her mouth but closed it when he shook his head. Her hair was down in loose brown curls today, probably because she had been thinking of Andromeda when she had been getting ready that morning. Of course she had, they all had. When she saw him, she got up and lifted her hair, turning her back to him so that he faced the zipper of her onyx black dress.

Remus loosened his tie as he crossed the room to go unzip her dress for her. She kicked off her heels and let them fly across the room and skid on the bedroom floor.

Remus moved to the dresser and opened a drawer, rummaging around for pajamas. He retrieved a well-worn favourite pair of red flannel pajama pants and pulled a ratty t-shirt that she liked to steal from his own drawer. He handed her the pajamas and she gave him a flicker of a thankful smile before pulling on the comfier clothes. As he did, Remus shrugged off his robes and unbuttoned his shirt sleeves, rolling them up. He put Dora's heels back in the closet and hung up her dress so that it wouldn't be wrinkled next time she needed to wear it.

He finished tidying by the time Dora had changed. He ran his fingers through her curls to remind them that they were there, and she shortened her hair to the usual pink spikes she liked best. He kissed the top of her head when she was back to looking like herself, but he didn't know what to say to her. When his mum had died, nobody had said anything that had been able to ease the ache and the hurt—because there just hadn't been anything to say. He had spent his entire life feeling and fearing some innate inadequacy within him, and while Dora had done a great deal to rewire that part of his brain… Well, Remus knew that there was nothing he could do to make this moment better. There just wasn't anything to say or anything to do.

He took her hand and tugged on it as he sat on the edge of their bed. He pulled on her hand and Dora sighed deeply and slipped into bed, curling up with her head on his lap and shutting her eyes. He reached down and pushed her hair out of her forehead, cradling her against him. She sighed in contentment, if nothing else.

This he could do.

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Spring Big List (Earring)

**Word count: **554


	33. Uncle Padfoot

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**Uncle Padfoot **

Remus got home so late that he wasn't surprised that the lights were off. He had left some blankets out for Sirius and told him to make himself at home if he got tired.

He locked the flat door behind him and dropped his keys in the bowl by the door, which was how he found a note that Dora had left for him before darting off on her graveyard shift. He smiled as he read over the _I love you _and tucked the note in his back pocket, walking through the dining room to get to the living room. He was somewhat surprised not to find Sirius asleep on the couch, but then again Sirius had never been the shy type. He'd quite possibly made himself comfortable in their bed and called it a day. Sirius had slept in stranger places for stranger reasons.

Remus cut through the living room and checked the kitchen fridge, satisfied to see that Sirius had indeed used the Muggle money he'd left on the table to order himself pizza. He shut the fridge door and wandered down the hallway of bedrooms. His mouth tasted like whiskey from his night out with some of the other Hogwarts professors and he desperately wanted to brush his teeth, but he opted to check on Teddy first to make sure he'd gone to sleep alright.

He pushed open the nursery door gently and peaked inside the navy blue room. When Dora had picked the colour he'd first been skeptical about how mundane of a colour choice that was for her, but the quilts and books and stuffed toys that had been packed in Teddy's room since had brought more life and colour to the room. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest in absolute panic when he registered the empty crib, but then there was movement on the floor that drew Remus' focus.

He immediately softened at the sight of the big black dog on the ground, in all its shaggy and fluffy glory, curled up tightly around the baby leaning against him. Teddy was wearing one of his softest pairs of pajamas which shone a bright lemon yellow, and as he slept his hair transitioned from soft blues to pinks like the Northern lights—a sure sign that he was feeling safe and sound and that his sleep was deep. One of his meaty little hands was knotted in Padfoot's fur, but the great dog seemed to be sleeping just as profoundly.

Remus leaned against the doorway, his head resting against the wood as he smiled. The pair of them looked so cozy, even if they were for all intents and purposes sleeping on the ground. It reminded Remus of when they used to babysit baby Harry, who used to love tossing his stuffed toys for 'Pafoo,' as he'd called Sirius, to fetch. Sometimes, they would prop Harry up against the big black dog to soothe him into eating mushy peas or pureed carrots—or they would sit him up there with a book that he'd pretend to read while muttering gibberish to go along with the pictures. He remembered how loudly Harry used to giggle when Padfoot would lick his cheeks and nudge into his little belly.

It was a bit surreal now to watch Sirius curled up with his own son. Lily used to tell him that he would one day make a "Mrs. Lupin unless she kept her last name" very happy—but Remus had always batted those remarks away, never believing that they may one day be true. If someone had described this moment to him seventeen years ago… Remus wouldn't have believed it. But he liked what he saw now. He liked how peaceful and normal and casual all this tenderness and all this love was.

As if sensing his presence, Sirius opened his yellowed eyes and looked at Remus. Remus crossed the room and carefully picked up Teddy, scooping the one-year-old against his chest as gently as he could so that the baby wouldn't wake. Thankfully, he stayed asleep, and so Remus backed up to give Sirius space to transform. His friend looked up at him from the nursery floor, stretching his arms above his head.

"How long have you been like that?" Remus asked quietly, a touch amused.

"Tonks said bedtime was at 7:30," Sirius whispered back.

"And you got him down that quickly? Babysitter of the year," Remus said. He knew for a fact that Harry always delayed bedtime in favour of more playtime or a third bedtime story or extra time in the bath.

"Uncle Padfoot's good at what he does," Sirius said, rising to his feet and straightening out his back.

"I hope he was good for you," Remus said, his voice still low.

"Of course he was," Sirius said. "He's one of the most mellow babies to ever live."

"That he is," Remus said. He kissed the top of Teddy's sky blue head and saw Sirius smiling at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Sirius said. "It's just… good to see you like this. Plus, I didn't think I would have more than the one nephew."

Remus smiled.

"I didn't think… I never imagined that I would be here either," he said. "And even if I had imagined it, I wouldn't have imagined that you would have… that you would be here too…"

"I know," Sirius said quietly. His voice shook a little bit as he said it, which just made a very nostalgic and ergo unstable Remus' heart break a little bit more.

Remus opened up his spare arm and his best friend wrapped his arms around him.

"I'm glad we both made it," Remus said quietly into Sirius' hair.

"I'm glad we both made it too," Sirius repeated.

* * *

**Word count: **961


	34. Childcare Struggles

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**Childcare Struggles **

Dora rushed back after her meeting and immediately scanned the Auror Office until she caught a flash of lime green hair. Hugging the ridiculous pile of folders to her chest, she crossed the room to go peek behind her desk and smiled when she saw Teddy sitting underneath it, colouring on the back of old meeting minutes and files that nobody needed anymore with some washable Muggle markers. The little boy noticed the shadow she was casting and he looked up, impossibly blue eyes round and innocent. The freckles dotting his chubby cheeks were just the icing on the cake.

"Mama," he said, as if he was surprised to see her. Then he smiled and Dora felt a smile splitting his face too.

"Hello, sweetness," she said. She put the folders down on her desk and leaned down to pick up the three-year-old before he could even stretch out his arms up towards her.

"Sorry that meeting took so long," she said, kissing his cheek. "They're so very slow, at the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Were you good while I was gone?"

"He was perfect," called Hestia Jones from the Head Auror office. Her door was propped open so she could keep the little boy in her line of sight while Tonks was away.

"Thank you again," Dora called over her shoulder. Then she turned back to Teddy and bumped her nose against his. "Good job, sweetness. Good, good job. Let's see what you coloured while I was away…"

Propping the boy on her hip, she bent back down to pick up Teddy's latest artwork and the handful of markers and caps loose on the floor. She dropped them on her desk and sat back down, balancing Teddy on her knee and oohing and aahing at his drawings while she put the files she'd brought to the meeting back in her drawer of active cases.

It wasn't the most _ideal _or convenient way to go about this, especially since Teddy was trying to be helpful and grabbing at the loose papers in some of the folders, but she'd been short on options today. Literally. Remus had just gone back to Hogwarts after Easter break, Mum was still self-isolating with Dragon Pox, Harry and Ginny were off honeymooning, Kingsley was away on business and had brought Sirius with him, and Fleur had given birth approximately a week ago which meant that, if anything, Tonks should be offering to watch over _her _children. Since Molly had been called in for reinforcements at Shell Cottage and today was chock full of monthly meetings, Teddy had come to work with her. She couldn't wait for the Ministry to finally establish that daycare they kept saying was in the works…

"Alright," she said when her hands were free again. She ran her free hand through Teddy's hair. He was focusing on colouring in what she thought might be a house with a chimney.

"Now would probably be a good time to feed you," she mused to herself. The Auror Office was nearly empty, which usually meant it was lunchtime. She bounced her knee up and down to get Teddy's attention. "Sweetness, are you hungry?"

"Issa lunch time," Teddy babbled happily.

"It's lunch time," she echoed. She was already exhausted from a morning of meetings and wondered how bad it would be if she just let Teddy stomp around the cafeteria and load up whatever he felt like eating without fussing on a tray. It probably wouldn't be too bad if she snuck some carrot sticks on there. Sure, there would probably be a disproportionate amount of chocolate milk and crisps and those soft, gooey cookies they stocked by the cash register… but hey, carrot sticks.

She kissed the top of his head. Remus was always better at force feeding Teddy nutrients and food he didn't want to eat—which was most things that toddlers were supposed to eat. She'd tried to keep an eye on his technique over Easter break, but he was inimitable. It was just she and Teddy now, though.

"Issa lunchtime for Teddy and Mama," Teddy repeated.

"It's lunchtime for Teddy and Mama," she repeated. She lifted him up again and plopped him on the ground, bending down to reattach the velcro on his shoes. "Can I have that marker back? We can leave it here while we go eat, yeah?"

"Yeah," Teddy said, handing her back the marker with great ceremony and decorum.

"Mama sleepy," Teddy said.

She grinned.

"A little bit, Teddy," she said. "A little bit. Maybe lunch will perk me back up, what do you think?"

"Issa lunch time," he said, taking her hand. She smiled and kissed his hand.

"Good idea," she said. Teddy smiled back, looking quite proud of himself.

"We're a pretty good team, you and I, yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah," Teddy agreed. "We a team."

"We are," she said. "So are you going to eat some vegetables for lunch, for me?"

"Maybe," Teddy said—which was a very diplomatic way of saying _no _he'd inherited from his father. Dora smiled at that.

Well, she was alone with a three-year-old. She was allowed to feed him crisps for lunch at least once a week, yeah?

Yeah.

* * *

**Word Count: **871


	35. Not The Most Romantic Pub

**Author's note: **Someone in the reviews of the last chapter said they missed Remus, and you know what? Me too. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #2, DIY and Home Repair Task #3 Write about someone's day brightening for some reason.

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**Not The Most Romantic Pub**

Remus smiled as soon as he walked into the Hog's Head. It wasn't very hard to find his wife—both because she was the only patron, and because her hair was her favoured shade of hot pink. She was bundled up for the uncharacteristically cold Fall day they were having, in leggings, a denim skirt, a pea coat, and a green sweater whose dark colours all made her hair look even more outrageous. The piercing on her nose was in today and he could see the tiny crystal on the jewellery shine from across the dingy pub, even if Dora was hunched over the book she was reading. She did look up when she heard the door shut behind him, and probably felt the chill rush in. She smiled when she saw him, which was all the incentive he needed to hurry across the room. She slid out of the booth she'd picked for them just in time for Remus to wrap his arms around her waist and for her to wrap hers around his neck.

"Hey, stranger," she said with a softness and fondness to her voice that had him melting all over.

"Hi," Remus said. He pulled away to kiss her, sampling a new lipstick he'd never seen her wear before. She had been experimental with makeup lately. "I hope you haven't been waiting long."

"No, no," she said.

"I got stuck on the walk here," he said. "A few of my seventh-year students had some ideas about how we could rearrange the Grindylow tank to make room for a mate."

"_More _Grindylows?" Dora said with a smile. "Is that really what we need?"

Remus shrugged.

"It doesn't look as if we'll be able to reintroduce it into the Black Lake and it's been alone for some time now," Remus said. "Maybe I'm just being sentimental. Lonely and so forth."

Dora laughed.

"Okay, I definitely need to visit you more often if you're starting to empathize with a damn water demon in a tank," Dora said.

"I wouldn't be opposed to that," Remus said. He smiled and they sat down again. The wooden benches were just as decrepit as the rest of the Hog's Head and they creaked under their respective weights, but Remus didn't mind. Most of the students didn't even know that the Hog's Head existed; it was a much quieter place for them to meet, which was nice because the student body typically lost its collective mind at the sight of Professor Lupin and his wife. Because of that, Remus had actually started having some strange, Pavlovian association of happiness to Aberforth's terrible pub.

Cheap drinks? Typically tasteless food reheated from the day before? A good, inch-thick coating of dust? The occasional and inexplicable bleating of a goat? Perfect; it meant Remus was about to see his wife.

Maybe it was good that he and the Grindylow had each other.

"I already ordered for you," Dora said. "It's bloody cold out there, I thought you'd like something warm when you finally got in."

"Thank you," Remus said. "Bangers and mash?"

"You know it," Dora said with a grin. Remus had been teaching at Hogwarts for well over ten years now; they had, through a tedious trial and error process, sorted through Aberforth's menu and found the items that were most reliably palatable. Dora's go-to was ham, egg, and chips.

"I also got us two Firewhiskies," Dora said. "Large ones."

"You really are cold," Remus smirked. She held out her hand across the table and Remus winced when he took them.

"Merlin, Dora," he said. "Didn't you have any gloves with you?"

"It wasn't this cold in London!" Dora said. "Imagine my absolute horror when I apparated to this absolute tundra!"

Remus smiled and made a mental note to give her his mittens before she left. In the meantime, he warmed up her hands in his while they waited for their food and drink, prompting her to tell him all about her week—though she, of course, wanted to know all about Teddy first.

Teddy knew that Dora came to visit Remus in Hogsmeade, when Remus wasn't one of the teachers on duty and he could afford to hide out in a dusty pub, effectively ditching his students. Still, he didn't swing by much—especially not now that he was older and grown up. It was part of his efforts to remain a normal student, even if one of his professors was his father. Remus knew Teddy wrote often, though. He was absolutely a mama's boy.

"Well, he's gotten detention with McGonagall again," Remus said.

"That troublemaker," Dora said, shaking her head. "Is he still having other kids pay him to impersonate them and take their detentions?"

"Yes, actually—that's the problem," Remus said. "He tried to do it when one of my Gryffindors had detention with me."

"The nerve of him!" Dora said, although she was laughing now. "In front of his own father?"

"I think your son forgot how accustomed I am to Metamorphmagi and their assorted shenanigans," Remus said with a smile.

"So what did you do?" Dora said with a grin, leaning forwards and knitting her fingers together around her mug, eager to hear more.

"I told him by name to go to McGonagall's office, explain to her what he'd done, and let her decide what to do with him," Remus said.

"My word," Dora said, shaking her head—although she was still smiling. Remus knew enough about her Hogwarts years to know that she'd done much worse, though she'd been smart and subtle enough not to get caught. Let it be said that Teddy, for all his good qualities, wouldn't grow up to be an Auror.

Aberforth came to deliver their drinks and grunted in Remus' direction, which was a surprisingly warm hello on the innkeeper's behalf.

"I think he was doing it to help one of the younger Gryffindor boys," Remus said. He took a sip of his drink. "Sinistra sent him to me, so I don't know the details of why the homework wasn't done, but his owl passed away earlier this week. I let it go after throwing our son to McGonagall's mercy."

"I suppose he is a sweetheart," Dora said, taking another sip from her drink.

"Slughorn and Madam Pomgrey have both been requesting him after hours," Remus said. "He's helping him with some kind of experiment. Slughorn says he's quite good."

"Well that bodes well for that application he sent off to St. Mungo's Healer training program," Dora said.

"He asked me to help him reread it," Remus said. "It's very good. I hope he gets in."

"Me too," Dora mused. They took another sip of their drinks.

"Have you had your fill of Teddy news?" Remus asked. "I don't think I have much more to tell anyways, and I want Dora updates."

She smiled.

"Well," she said with a smile on her lips that told him she was holding back something good. "Guess who can finally stop chasing down that dragon egg exchange ring because she got a confession from the leader's right-hand man," Dora said.

"You did not," Remus said, grinning.

"We're going to trial in a month!" Dora said.

"Cheers to that," Remus said, raising his mug. Dora beamed and raised hers. Their glasses clinked together and the sound was extra loud in the empty pub.

When Remus put his glass back down after taking a sizable swig, he settled into his bench for a long afternoon of catching up, a smile on his lips.

* * *

_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Summer Medium 1 (Unconventional Date)

**Word count: **1257


	36. No High Horses In Sight

**Author's note: **This scene's been coming for a while. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**No High Horses In Sight **

"Hey stranger," Remus said cheerfully when he opened the door to his son. It took him a second to register what was off about Teddy: he was so inexplicably pale that his natural freckles were standing out across his nose and cheeks. Otherwise, he looked normal enough; turquoise-haired, brown-eyes, and lanky as if he was perpetually coming off a growth spurt.

"Teddy?" Remus asked.

"Hi," Teddy said. "Umm, hi Dad."

He wrapped an arm around Remus and Remus hugged him, though he frowned at how stiff Teddy was.

"There he is," Dora said cheerfully, turning out of their kitchen and facing the door, beaming at their son. "Merlin, we don't see you nearly enough what with all those shifts at St. Mungo's you keep picking up…"

"Sorry about that," Teddy said, hugging his mother mechanically. She also sensed that something was off and frowned, eyes darting from Remus to Teddy and back again. She pushed a strand of pink hair behind her ear. Today she'd chosen to let some of the grey shine through her favourite colour, which made her braid seem to shine, strangely enough.

"What's going on, sweetheart?" she asked. She turned to Remus as if to demand an answer.

"I was just in the process of asking," Remus said.

"Yeah, I… I need to talk to you guys," Teddy said. He cleared his throat.

"Are you alright?" Dora asked. Her hand went up to Teddy's forehead almost automatically, as if checking for a fever. Teddy sidestepped her.

"Yes, Mum, I promise I—I'm fine, I…" Teddy chewed on his lip. "Is the kettle boiled?"

"Of course," Remus said. "I'll go make us all some tea, alright?"

"Alright," Teddy said dryly.

He went about it as quickly as he could, worry racing through his mind and clouding it with worst-case-scenario after worst-case-scenario. Teddy was standing nervously, twisting his hands together, but Dora was sitting at her favourite spot on the couch, watching him like a hawk, as if one well-placed look could squeeze the truth out of him. Which, to be fair, it had done in the past.

Remus passed Teddy his cup and gently steered him so that he sat on the armchair. He joined Dora on the sofa and gave her her cup before taking a sip of her own.

"I assumed nobody needed milk or sugar," Remus said.

Dora shook her head, still not taking her grey eyes off of Teddy, and Teddy mumbled something about how the tea was perfect before taking a sip, as if he needed to prove it.

"Alright then," Remus said, trying to take on that calm and diplomatic tone everyone said he had, though his son was making him nervous. "Teddy, tell us what you need to talk to us about."

Teddy opened his mouth and then bit down on his lip before trying again.

"Vic… Victoire is pregnant," he said.

"Oh," Remus said.

"Oh wow!" Dora said with a little gasp. "I didn't know she was seeing someone."

The words left her lips and Teddy got paler.

That was when Remus understood because he too had once upon a time paled so incredibly quickly.

Remus cocked his head to the side and gave his son a look. Teddy looked away and scratched the back of his head.

"How is she doing?" Dora said. "How far along is she? Is she alright, I hadn't heard about this from Bill…"

Remus made eye contact with Teddy and arched an eyebrow.

"We had coffee just this Thursday and when I asked him what was new he said 'oh nothing,' can you believe him?" Dora scoffed, nudging Remus. "And meanwhile, he's going to be a grandfather…"

Remus cleared his throat and gave Teddy an even more pointed look. With every word his mother said, Teddy looked as if he wanted to disappear or perhaps melt through the armchair he was sitting on more and more.

"Umm," Teddy said. "That's… that's because Bill and—and Fleur, oh God Fleur… Umm, they're only finding out tonight too, because…"

Teddy suddenly looked spaced out. The risk that he would vomit on their floor became suddenly real to Remus.

He turned to look at Dora and nudged her arn. That's when she seemed to catch on; eyes widening and mouth dropping.

"Oh my Merlin…" Dora suddenly said. "Teddy, are you..?"

"Yeah," Teddy said. "Yeah, I… I kind of did that."

"You and Victoire?" Dora asked, her eyes wide as if she'd been let out of a surprise party. "You and Victoire?"

"No, no, it wasn't, we weren't together—Merlin, I would have told you if we were _together," _Teddy said.

"Well…" Remus trailed off. "I mean, you _were._ In some capacity, unless this is a very grave misunder..."

"Yes, okay, we were—but not like that," Teddy said. "It was… it's a lot of work, being a first year Healer, and we lived together so it just kind of happened once and then it happened again and it kept happening and we just kept ordering take-away when it did and… wow, I don't want to talk about this with you guys."

"We don't particularly need to hear about the details," Remus assured him. "We're here now."

"Teddy," Dora said, clucking her tongue. "Teddy, why are you coming to us with this, looking like a kicked puppy?"

She pushed herself up and crossed the living room, gathering her son in her arms.

Teddy exhaled and shut his eyes, head leaning against his mother.

"Teddy," she said again, clucking her tongue. "Teddy, love, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Teddy said. "Yeah and Victoire too, she's okay. She's okay and we're… she's going to keep the baby and we're going to raise her, or him, or—well, them I guess, we're going to have a baby."

"Okay," Dora said. She sat on the armchair's arm and Remus moved closer to them, clearing a spot on the coffee table for him to perch on.

"Yeah," Teddy said. "So that… umm, we went to an appointment this week and they said the baby's about three months old."

"Three months," Dora repeated. Remus shook his head; that was nearly a full trimester.

"Yeah," Teddy said. "We um, we just… Victoire found out about two weeks ago. Well, me too, I guess. She woke me up at 3:00 a.m. and she was panicking and so I couldn't panic because she was already doing that. And so I went out to get a Muggle test so we didn't have to wait to brew a potion, and… and, yeah. Now that she's seen a Healer, we wanted to tell you guys."

"I'm glad you did," Remus said.

"Of course we are," Dora said, running a hand through Teddy's hair. "My word, Teddy…"

"It's fine," Teddy said. "We're fine. She's fine, everything is fine."

"Are you, though?" Remus asked gently.

Teddy exhaled like a balloon that had just been pricked by a needle.

"I'm bloody panicking," Teddy said. "And I thought I was just panicking about telling you guys, but now I'm just…"

"Panicking about everything," Remus said, nodding. He was familiar with this concept, yes.

Dora put an arm around Teddy's shoulders and pulled him towards her again.

"Panicking is normal," Remus said. "You can't stop the panicking. You can only control how you handle it and let me tell you, as someone who picked the worst possible option, you have many options..."

Teddy nodded along to this.

"I'm not going anywhere," Teddy said. "I… I don't know what the fuck to do, but not that."

"Yes, good," Dora said.

Remus put a hand on Teddy's knee and squeezed.

"I'm proud of you," Remus said truthfully.

"I think… this will be good," Teddy said. "It's going to be—I mean, now it's a mess, and it might keep being a mess, but I really think it's going to be good…"

Teddy trailed off and exhaled again.

"You guys… you guys aren't mad?" Teddy asked them, looking from one parent to the other.

"Of course not," Dora said. "Besides, what high horse do we possibly have to get off of? What, with our wonderful history of slipping up on fertility potions and having a bloody baby in the middle of a war…"

"I still can't believe we did that," Remus said.

"Foolish of us," Dora said. She kissed the top of Teddy's head. "Foolish, but absolutely worth it in every way. Sometimes it's like that, Teddy."

Teddy finally seemed to relax.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Teddy said.

"You've mentioned it, but it's been some time now since we so rarely see you now that St. Mungo's is keeping you so busy," Dora said. "Your father made a cawl with lamb and an abundance of carrots. You'll love it. Let's get you fed, it will help."

"There's chocolate cake for later, that will possibly help most of all," Remus said, squeezing Teddy's knee again before standing up. Dora went to go get dinner and the two of them lurked in the living room some more. Teddy was still pale, but regaining colour—he simply had a long way to go before regaining his natural shade.

"Teddy?" Remus said.

"Yeah?" Teddy asked breathlessly, looking up.

"You're okay," Remus said. "It'll be okay. Trust me. If there was one thing I could go back in time and tell myself, it would be that."

Teddy nodded.

"It'll be okay," he said. Remus patted his shoulder.

"You'll want to practise saying that confidently some more before telling Victoire," Remus said. "But yes, you're on the right track."

The sound of crashing plates erupted from the kitchen.

"Oh my gosh!" Dora said. "We're going to be _grandparents?" _

"There she goes," Remus said. He patted Teddy's arm and made his way to the kitchen to make sure that Dora didn't drop dinner next.

But _oh my gosh _they were going to be grandparents.

* * *

**Word Count: **1650


	37. Running An Errand

**Author's note: **Just fluff, because you know what? Fluff. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** Fade to black-like ending.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #3, Floral Design Task #4 Write about a romantic gesture.

* * *

**Running an Errand **

Filius was the one who tapped on his elbow halfway through dinner and directed Remus' attention away from his copy of _The Prophet._

"I think there's somebody waiting for you at the doors," Filius said, mischief lighting up his tone. When Remus looked up to the open doors of the Great Hall, he saw a figure in purple robes topped with pink.

"I know who that is," Slughorn said pointedly, cutting into his pork chop with a pleased grin on his face.

"Yes, well, she doesn't exactly pride herself on subtlety," Remus said. He put down the utensils he'd been eating with and folded his copy of the paper. "I'll be back."

He smoothed down his robes and got up, hoping that the kitchen wouldn't whisk away his plate before he returned. He supposed it wouldn't matter if it did; Kreacher worked in the kitchen and could usually find Remus something to eat when he got peckish while grading late at night.

He made the mistake of trying to be discreet and walk along the wall of the Great Hall nearest to the Slytherins as he made his escape. His fifth year class that day had gotten a bit out of hand practising the mating call of the Yeti and apparently news of the hysterics had circulated—so his students immediately launched themselves into an uproarious cacophony of long shrieks along a roller coaster of pitches. Charming. Remus dignified them with one shriek of his own before waving them off and hurrying along his way. It was good that McGonagall was not around for this meal to question this. Remus _liked _his job.

Dora was waiting for him, leaning against the entrance of the Great Hall. He smiled when he saw her. He took her hands and tugged her away so that they were standing in the hall outside.

"And what are you doing here?" Remus asked, wrapping his arms around her as soon as they were out of the student body's sight. She was shorter than him today, which Remus secretly loved even if he never voiced any preferences about her many different appearances. She had to stand up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck. Remus loved that more.

"McGonagall requested copies of the last decade of school safety evaluations from the Auror Department and I volunteered to deliver them so that I could come visit you," Dora said.

"Aren't you romantic," Remus said, kissing the top of her head.

"Oh, you want romance?"

Dora pulled away and reached into her pocket to remove what looked like a ring box, which she passed over to him. Remus was reasonably sure that this was a product from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and was pleasantly surprised when he opened the box only for an assortment of wildflowers to sprout upwards.

"I was going to bring you flowers, but the merchant said he had something even better when I told him how I couldn't surprise you often," Dora said. "Do I win at being a wife, or what?"

"You're wife of the year," Remus said, leaning down and kissing her. "Fifth year running, love."

"It didn't even take me that long to get your attention," Dora said.

"That's not especially surprising," Remus said. She frowned. "Your hair, Dora. The pink tends to give you away."

"Hmm," Dora mused. She ran a hand through her hair and the colour indigo spread from her fingertips across her spiky hair. "Better?"

"I could still spot you from a mile away," Remus said. "And now you're making me think of Teddy. How is he?"

"He is doing great," Dora said. "Sleeping over at Grandma's tonight, so he probably had ice cream for dinner and is doing even better than when I last saw him."

"Good for him," Remus said. He leaned forwards and kissed her. His eyes were closed and the smell of Dora's shea butter soap and her powdery fresh laundry detergent filled his nose and he felt like he was home again. Better yet, Dora slipped him some tongue.

"Professor Lupin?" he heard someone say.

And it was over then, because he stepped back to see some of his students staring at him. Well, at them. Yes, they were definitely starring at _them, _or at the phenomenon of he and Dora together.

"Hello," he said, greeting Mehar Patil, Tommy Ng and Samantha MacMillan who were getting to dinner late. Heaven knew what they'd been up to on their own.

They looked at Tonks and then back at Remus expectantly, grinning to themselves.

"Go on," Remus said, nudging his head towards the Great Hall. _Come on, you're only steps away, _he wanted to urge the girls. "The kitchens have outdone themselves tonight."

The students giggled.

"Professor Lupin, who's that?" Tommy asked, trying to play it innocently.

"This is my wife," Lupin said as straightforwardly as he could. "Dora, these are some of my students—they're in Hufflepuff."

"Wotcher," Dora said. "I was a Hufflepuff too."

She winked at them and they giggled.

"Professor Lupin, your wife was a _Hufflepuff?" _Mehar said mischievously.

"Yes," Remus said. "Yes, she… she was."

"I was," Dora repeated. The students lurked some more.

"Professor Lupin, your wife's, like, really pretty," Samantha said.

"Thank you," Remus said carefully.

"Picked the face myself, thanks," Dora mumbled. They laughed and then Remus arched an eyebrow.

"You know, if you spent this much time lurking in the hall, I might not be so generous when you all ask me for an extension on the Grindylow paper in class tomorrow," Remus said. "Yes, I know about that."

"Alright," Mehar said, grabbing her friends by the hands and dragging them forwards.

They really did need an extension. Remus had decided he'd give it to them a week ago anyways, but it did the trick.

"Such a stern teacher," Dora said, clucking her tongue.

"I suppose I didn't have to work so hard to get rid of them, the damage is done," Remus said.

"Damage?"

"Each of those children individually can gossip like nobody's business," Remus said. "When combined, they're just about a force of nature."

"You don't want students gossipping about your pretty wife?" Dora teased.

"No," Remus said. "I rather like you only being _my_ pretty wife."

"Huh," Dora said. She tugged on the front of his robes again, now that they were alone. "Well… Why don't you come here and put that mouth to better use?"

"Dora, we are _just _outside the Great Hall," Remus said.

"There's nobody around," she said innocently. "Oh, Merlin! I forgot you had a whole office and rooms here. Bloody hell, what are we standing in the halls for?"

"You didn't come here just to run an errand, did you?" Remus said.

"I came here to run two errands," Dora said. "One is done. I need help with the other."

Remus rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. The kitchen would have to take his plate away after all, apparently.

* * *

**Word Count: **1163


	38. Indigo Most Welcome

**Author's note: **Just fluff, because you know what? Fluff. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**Indigo Most Welcome**

"I DON'T WANT TO!" Teddy said in that adorable and gentle tone of his that Remus so loved.

Merlin help them both.

"Teddy, there's no need to be screaming in the flat," Remus said.

"I DON'T WANT TO AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"

"That's true," Remus had to concede to the screaming child that stood before him, fists balled and eyebrows crossed. "I can't. But we're not going anywhere until you do, and stop screaming."

"I WANT MAMA!"

"Mama will tell you the same thing as I am. This is a house rule."

"YOU'RE EVIL!"

"Edward Remus Lupin," Remus said, trying to muster as much authority and decisiveness in his tone as fatherhood and teaching had given him combined. It still wasn't much—not nearly enough to reckon with a child who had jumped from happy to go play to screaming at the top of their lungs. "We are not leaving this house until you go ten minutes without morphing and that's not negotiable, tantrum or no tantrum. Stop shouting or we're not going at all."

"We're going to be late," Teddy wined, his little face furrowing in anger and frustration.

"Yes, and so we'll apologize to your friends' parents when we get there," Remus said. "But you know the rules about morphing outside the house."

"The rules are stupid!" Teddy bit back with all the righteous rage that a seven-year-old could muster.

"You can talk to your mother about that later, but I really must say that I don't think you'll wiggle your way out of this one," Remus said. He crossed his arms. "We aren't leaving the house until you go ten minutes without morphing, and that's final."

Teddy wined but gave up on the shows of anger and childish righteousness when he didn't get a reaction from Remus. When Teddy had been younger, the two of them had cast their fair share of concealment charms on him so that the changing hues of his hair or his mid-sentence nose transformations didn't create any panic or concern amongst London's non-magical population. Dora was starting to tighten the leash now, saying that Teddy was old enough and skilled enough now to pick a form and stick to it. They were using summer holidays, when there weren't any school days, to get him used to making some kind of choice about his physical appearance. Meanwhile, Teddy disagreed with his mother's assessment entirely; this was not their first screaming match of the sort this week. These tantrums were nightmarish because of the shouting, yes, but because Teddy had been such a mellow and happy child until that point. He hadn't prepared either of his parents for this kind of reckoning.

"I hate the rules!" Teddy said, as if Remus needed to be reminded of where exactly his son stood.

"I know," Remus said calmly. "But you know that witches and wizards aren't allowed to use magic in front of Muggles, and your morphing abilities are a kind of magic. They're very good magic too. You know that we really, really need you to settle on a form before we leave the house so that you don't get antsy and shift in front of Muggles. That's to make sure that you don't get in trouble and we don't get in trouble. Yes?"

The explanation was one Teddy had heard before and he didn't seem particularly happy to be hearing it again. He crossed his little arms in a gesture that was far too grown-up and ergo kind of comical, but Remus managed to bite back his smile. It would only offend Teddy even further.

"Teddy?" Remus said.

"What?" Teddy asked bitterly.

"I love you," Remus reminded him.

Teddy furrowed his little face even more.

"I hate you."

"No you don't," Remus said. "If I were you, I would start to be proactive about this whole thing. You can't keep being late to things. Settle on your shape now so that we can start counting ten minutes. Do you want your hair to be green like this when we go to the park, or do you want to pick another colour?"

Teddy paused and contemplated his options. He wrinkled his nose and his hair lightened a few shades until it shone a bright indigo. The colour was calm and soothing, which gave Remus hope that maybe Teddy was going to start cooling down.

"That's a really nice one," Remus said encouragingly. "Alright, now do you want your eyes to be that far apart or do you want them closer together? I know you like looking like a fish right now, but are you going to want to see properly on the playground?"

Teddy considered this again and readjusted the set of his eyes. His usual splash of freckles appeared over his cheeks and nose.

"Thank you," Remus said. He gave Teddy a second. "Is this your shape for today?"

"Yes," Teddy said. In a quiet voice he added: "I won't change until after the park."

"Alright," Remus said. "How about you go read for ten minutes while we wait until it's time to go to the park."

Teddy sighed and nodded before trotting over to the living room to pick up one of his books and pull himself on an armchair. Once he was satisfied that Teddy's anger had passed, Remus went to join him in the living room with a book on his own—a new treaty on Dementors he'd pre ordered from Flourish and Blott's ages ago.

About a minute later, Teddy crawled off the armchair and came to sit on the sofa next to Remus, snuggling up.

* * *

**WC: **935


	39. Because of a Forgotten Lunchbox

**Author's note: **One more time: Just fluff, because you know what? Fluff. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #2, Archaeology Task 4, Write about a large group or organisation

**Warnings:** Mentions past injustice and abuse of authority

* * *

**Because of a Forgotten Lunch **

Remus had thought that having Teddy with him would make this feel better, but he was still so incredibly nervous as he and his son appeared in the Ministry of Magic. The place did not look much different than it had before the war, other than the Fountain of Magical Brethren's removal. It had been replaced by a new art installation made by Dean Thomas—who had been chosen from a pool of Muggleborn artists to create a monument. Dean's work, revealed after Voldemort's fall, was a monument to the Muggleborns and Muggles who had vanished or been killed during the Second Wizarding War and to those who had fallen at Hogwarts or through work at the Order. It appeared to be a tall pillar on which rested a pile of wands and Muggle objects that wizards wouldn't have ordinarily looked twice at. The names of those victims that were known rained down from the tips of the wands above and fluttered to the ground before being replaced by more. Remus had known Dean to be an artist when he'd been his student, always drawing impeccable diagrams and schematics, but this monument took Remus' breath away every time he saw it.

Although sightseeing wasn't why they had come to the Ministry, he and Teddy. The latter was sitting in his stroller and chewing on the ear of a stuffed giraffe happily. He looked up with his big crystal blue eyes, as if sensing that Remus was watching him. Today, the baby's hair was a bright and popping cherry red colour.

"Yes, yes," Remus said. "We're going."

Months after the war, the Ministry was still throbbing with activity. People came here to try and track down lost loved ones, recover confiscated wands, offer testimonies, and a flood of new employees were working on rebuilding the world that had been broken. Remus had been to the Ministry multiple times over the years, mostly to deal with the Department for the Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures (which was never fun). Despite all the loss and the destruction that the wizarding world was dealing with, Remus couldn't recall ever seeing the building alive with such energy and so much activity.

Again: they weren't here for sightseeing.

Remus chewed on his lip and finally gave the stroller a push, heading towards the elevators. He might have been recognized if the people fluttering about weren't quite so busy, but he wound up in the elevator with three exhausted workers he didn't recognize and who were busy chattering amongst themselves in what he thought might be Gobbledegook, though they did spare Teddy a look. That happened when you had a baby with you. That pause gave Remus time to hesitate and wonder if he should just turn around and go home, before pressing the button to the second level, where the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was housed.

The elevator ride was short, which was probably good. A flurry of purple airplanes glided around the floor and it didn't take long for Remus to find a sign that explained where the Auror Office could be found. He swallowed and pushed Teddy forwards, pausing more often than strictly necessary to readjust the blanket over his son's lap. Teddy didn't seem to mind; the giraffe seemed to continue to be delicious.

The Auror Office was behind a wall of glass windows; it was a wide open space with clusters of desks throughout and doors in the back leading to the Head Auror's office and more private meeting rooms. Corkboards on the walls showed pictures, _Daily Prophet _clippings, maps, and other leads related to the bureau's current activities. One chalkboard had been completely taken over by the names and photographs of ex-Death Eaters still on the loose and believed to be in Britain. The Aurors milling around the office or sitting at their desks reading files, taking notes, or arguing with one another about this and that were an odd mix of characters, and Dora still managed to stand out with her spiky pink hair, sharp grey eyes, and the mustard yellow sweater she'd paired with today's black skirt. She was sitting at what he assumed was her desk, flipping through a binder and showing something to a colleague on a map. Her wand was tucked behind her ear like a cigarette.

Remus took a deep breath.

Other than Dora, there were a handful of Aurors in the office right now.

Remus didn't like Aurors. Sometimes, Department for the Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures employees would drag Aurors into their meetings. Sometimes, Aurors showed up to enforce the werewolf registry's nonsense or to conduct useless wellness and compliance checks. Sirius had told him stories of being brutalized in Azkaban. During the first war they had been just about useless and during the second war, they had just about been Death Eaters themselves. Remus knew that a purge of sort had taken place once Voldemort had fallen and he knew that many of the traitorous Aurors were now in Azkaban.

But still. Remus Lupin did not like Aurors. He liked _one _Auror who had been dissatisfied with her department, joined an insurgency movement, and demanded his attention very early on in her career, yes. Kingsley he also trusted, though he was Minister now. But Aurors as a whole and Aurors he did not know and Aurors in their home base…

He also didn't know any of the Aurors that hadn't been in the Order of the Phoenix. Dora had invited him to Christmas parties and happy hours with her colleagues before, but Remus had historically refused on the grounds of shyness and unconfidence. Most of the faces he saw at the moment were new.

But there was Dora. And he had Teddy with him.

He approached the office's entrance and spoke to the receptionist who was stationed by the door.

"Excuse me," Remus said. "Hello, I'm looking for Auror Tonks."

The receptionist looked at him for a moment and then recognized his face and, most likely, the baby he was ferrying about.

"You must be Remus," she said with a smile splitting her face. "And this must be Teddy…"

Remus blushed at the attention and when he looked back, sure enough the Aurors milling about had stopped what they were doing or hushed their conversations to see him. Superb. He had only been planning to drop off what he'd brought and then go immediately.

"Hey, you," Dora said in a soft and pleased voice. She put her binder down and rolled up her sleeves as she crossed the room, the heels of her dragonhide boots clicking against the floor. She put one hand on Remus' arm and leaned up to kiss him—a quick peck, as if it were nothing. "And you too, lovebug…"

She reached down just as Teddy relinquished the giraffe and waved his little hands about, trying to take hers. He latched onto her left hand and she leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"What are you doing here?" Dora asked, a smile on her lips though she seemed genuinely surprised to see him.

"You, ah, you forgot your lunch," Remus said. He reached down to the basket under Teddy's stroller and fished out her hot pink lunchbox.

"I hadn't even noticed," Dora said, wide-eyed.

"I figured you would," Remus said. "What, with you having leftover curry in here and it being fish stick day in the cafeteria…"

Dora detested fish sticks. He had heard her complain about the atrocity of fish stick day enough times to have known, when he'd opened the fridge and seen her lunchbox still there, that something had to be done—even if that something was Remus personally bringing her curry.

"You came to save me from fish stick day?" Dora asked, smiling.

"Of course," Remus said. "I've saved you from much worse."

Dora laughed.

"Thank you," she said, hugging the lunchbox to herself with the hand Teddy wasn't holding. She looked over her shoulder quickly. "While you're here, do you want to meet everybody?"

"I didn't mean to disturb," Remus said, probably blushing some more. "We were just going to stop by…"

"You're Remus, then," one of the Aurors in the back spoke up. Remus had no idea who he was; he sported shaggy blond hair, green eyes, and an American accent.

"Yes," Remus answered, inclining his head. "Pleased to meet you. Really, we didn't mean to intrude…"

"Nonsense!" Hestia Jones said, strolling out of the Head Auror's office. "We want to see the baby while you're here!"

"Tonks never shuts up about the two of you," another Auror said.

Remus turned to look at Dora.

"I really don't," she admitted. She took her hand away from Teddy and wrapped an arm around Remus' arm. She lowered her voice. "Everyone who's here right now I really like. They're cool; they're the right kinds of Aurors. They just want to meet you and Teddy because you're my family and they know how much I love you."

Remus swallowed and nodded.

"We can stay for a bit," he said. Dora smiled and reached to pick up Teddy from the stroller, putting down her lunchbox. She kissed his forehead as she adjusted the baby in her arms.

"You are going to be our most popular visitor, sir," she said. "I can tell."

She did wink at Remus before bringing the baby over to her colleagues who gathered in awe.

Remus followed.

* * *

**WC: **1575


	40. You Will Stay Unmarked

**Author's note: **Well, this drabble collection is officially one year old today! Honestly, for something that started off as potentially a oneshot, this came far. Thank you so much for all your support and reviews, they truly make my day every single time. To celebrate a year of drabbles and chapter 40 all at once, I wrote something _slightly _longer. This probably should have been published as a separate oneshot, but the final scene… well, that final scene belongs here for you guys. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #3, Healer Studies Task #3 Spattergroit: Write about someone physically marked by something.

**Warnings:** Violence; canon violence against children; injuries; slight gore; one citrusey scene; canon-compliant discrimination

* * *

**You Will Be Unmarked **

Hope let Lyall handle the Healers—she didn't understand a word they were saying about healing potions anyways, and she was desperately afraid of stepping away from her son. Of course, Remus might not be able to tell that she was there. He hadn't been conscious for hours now, he'd lost too much blood at first and then the doctors—no, the Healers here—had sedated him. But she hoped he could tell that she was at his side. His little body was so broken and bruised and bandaged that she was afraid of doing so much as taking his hand, but still. She hoped he could tell she was there.

When Lyall came back in the room, running a hand through his hair, Hope sat up a little bit straighter.

"And?" she asked, her stomach tied in knots.

Lyall looked like he was about to be sick, which was what he'd looked like ever since they had woken up to their son's terrified and then pained screams.

"He's stable," Lyall said.

"He'll be okay?" Hope asked.

"He'll be a werewolf."

"But he'll live?"

"Hope are you hearing what I'm…"

"Answer the question, Lyall," Hope snapped. "Will he live?"

Lyall seemed to make himself smaller at the sound of her voice, and then he nodded.

A relieved sob burst from Hope's throat before she could cover her hands with her mouths. She turned to look at Remus again and sobbed.

"Thank God," she said, her hands reaching out for him before she remembered just how brutally the little boy had been attacked. Her hands shook and she buried her face in them again. "Oh, thank God…"

"I'm going to go get coffee," Lyall muttered before slipping out of the hospital room.

* * *

"Can I go?" Remus asked, watching Hope with big brown eyes as she went over the invitation he had brought home from school.

"Sweetheart, it's an invitation to a pool party," Hope said carefully.

"I know," Remus said. "There's going to be cake too."

Hope chewed on her lip some more.

"I'm sorry sweetheart," she said, reaching down to cup her son's cheek. "You know how hard it is to explain the scars to friends who don't know about magic."

Remus considered this for a second, as if trying to puzzle out how hard of a rejection this truly was.

"Maybe we can try?" he suggested.

Hope tried not to let her mind conjure the image of her son's back; the claw marks that riddled it, the angry clumps of twisted scar tissue on his shoulder that showed where teeth had once sunk in…

"I don't think we can," Hope said, her stomach twisted. "I'm sorry, baby."

* * *

"I have a question about Hogwarts," Remus asked Lyall as they walked down Diagon Alley. It was a familiar refrain; Remus had been nothing _but _questions about Hogwarts since Dumbledore's visit…

"Of course," Lyall said.

"What are the dormitories like?" Remus asked, looking up. It was a simple question but there was a fair bit of anxiety in his face as he waited for Lyall's answer.

"I was always more than comfortable in the Ravenclaw common room," Lyall said. "Soft beds, big desks so you can pile up all your books, soft light that doesn't strain your eyes when you stay up late reading, beautiful carpets…"

"That sounds nice," Remus asked.

"It is," Lyall said.

"But do you have to get changed in front of others or can you, you know, hide?" Remus asked. Lyall's stomach twisted.

* * *

"I hear you don't have to go home for Christmas if you don't want to," Sirius said one day as they were walking back to the common room after dinner. James and Peter were in detention, but Sirius and Remus had been quick enough not to get caught. McGonagall still hadn't been too happy about it; she was rather upset that some of her students had broken the record for most detentions before Christmas break. They had decided to lay low until January as a result.

"I didn't know that," Remus said. "Did you want to stay here for the holidays?"

"No, my family would never let me," Sirius said. "But I thought you should know."

"Me? Why?" Remus asked.

"Because… you know," Sirius said. He shifted uncomfortably. "If your family did that to your back, you need to know you can stay here and be safe…"

Remus blushed when Sirius said it.

"Oh no," he said. "No, it's not them, they would never… My family would never hurt me, they love me."

"Yeah?" Sirius asked, skeptical.

"Yeah," Remus said. "I promise. It's like I said, I got in an accident when I was a baby."

"Is that really what happened?" Sirius asked.

"Yes," Remus said. "What else could it be?"

* * *

Mum kissed his forehead and tucked him back in bed, as if he was just a little boy.

"Try to get some sleep," she said. "Your father said he'd have a look at your arm later, to see if there's another potion he could try."

"I can't sleep Mum, you've got to tell me," Remus said, even if everything about his hoarse and pasty voice betrayed how exhausted he was. "When I broke through the spells, did I hurt anyone?"

"Remus…"

"Mum, _did I?" _Remus pressed on, propping himself up on his elbows even if it sent his head spinning. "Mum, I need to know. It's my worst fear, Mum, I need to know…"

"No, sweetheart, you didn't," Mum said. "Your father used a potion to run a test, and the only blood you had on you was your own."

Remus sighed in relief, falling back against his pillow.

"Thank God," he said. There wasn't a whole lot written about werewolves, and most of it was violent and just plain wrong and difficult to read—but Remus knew that after his latest growth spurt, his werewolf form was fully mature and as dangerous as it would ever be. It made him nervous around the other boys, even if the Marauders had proven themselves again and again, but now that he was home for the summer and dealing with the transformations mostly alone… well, being an apex predator capable of supernatural devastation was a frightening thing.

"Sweetheart, is that really something you worry about?" Mum asked, reaching out to push his hair out of his face.

"I rather die than turn someone into a werewolf," Remus said. He realized that that might have been a little bit of an intense thing to say to his mother, so he tried to walk it back. "I mean, I… I feel bad for the one who bit me, who lost control and all that, but I could never live with myself if something happened to someone because of me."

Mum seemed to be holding back, both from fidgeting with his sheets and from saying something.

"I'm sorry," Remus said. "I don't—I shouldn't talk about the night I was bitten…"

"No," Mum said. "No, no, Remus, it's your story and it's your life. You should talk about it. It's just that…"

"What is it?" Remus asked. Mum gulped.

"You should ask your father to talk to you about Fenrir Greyback," Mum said in a very calculated and measured voice. "I shouldn't have brought it up. I shouldn't have said that, but it… it's your deserve to know."

* * *

"That bloody monster," Sara MacMillan said, throwing her copy of the paper down onto the Gryffindor table. She pointed to an article as she read aloud. "'Three werewolves, one of which was identified as Fenrir Greyback by eyewitness accounts and the Department for the Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures, transformed near the Aberdeen Boarding School For Magical Students and mortally injured three students and one Defense Against the Dark Arts professor…'"

"Oh my gosh," Lily Evans whispered. "That's werewolf."

"Monsters," Nicholas Dawlish said, shaking his head. "Werewolves are absolute monsters."

Sirius looked at Remus, eyebrows furrowed, and he was about to say something to Dawlish when James kicked him under the table and shot him a look.

Remus never had much of an appetite for the first few days after the full moon and he definitely didn't have one now.

"Did someone get bitten?" Marlen McKinnon asked. "Merlin, I hope no one got bitten…"

"I don't understand why they're not hunted down," Michael McKinnon said. "I mean, what kind of a life is that anyways?"

Remus used his spoon to swirl the cereal in his bowl but didn't touch it—even if the other boys sat quietly with him until the Great Hall was mostly empty.

"Don't listen to them," Peter finally said when they were alone at Gryffindor table.

"They're not wrong," Remus said. "Greyback is a monster."

The other boys were quiet, not sure where to go from there.

"Are you and your father on speaking terms?" James asked.

"No," Remus said. "No we are not."

* * *

He had Lily's tea in one hand and a plate of bacon with strawberry jam-slathered toast in the other when she wobbled into the kitchen, somehow looking even more pregnant than she had when Remus had seen her the day before.

"Here you are," he said. Lily's radiant smile spread across her already glowing face.

"You're too sweet," Lily said, taking the food from him. He drew a chair for her from the dining table where Sirius and Peter were already eating. She leaned in and kissed his cheek, her kiss landing on one of the newest scars that slashed it. Lily had always been one of the only people in the world who saw Remus' scars and had found the perfect balance between noticing them, acknowledging them, and seeing past them.

"You are going to make a Mrs. Lupin very happy one day, unless she decides to keep her last name," Lily told him.

"Or hyphenate," Sirius said.

"Good point Sirius, she could hyphenate," Peter chimed in.

"Don't start with me before you've even had your tea, Lily," Remus said, guiding her to her seat.

"You will!" Lily called out. "Mark my words, Remus! I'm right, even if you don't see how much of a catch you really are."

* * *

He went to Godric's Hollow, because where else was he supposed to do with news like this, when he felt like he was going to throw up as badly as he wanted to? There was nowhere else to go; he walked briskly to get to Lily and James' place and the wards around the house let him drift through happily. He knocked on the door before letting himself in, yelling his name and that week's safeword as he crossed the threshold and pulled his rain-slicked cloak from around him to hang up.

"Moomoo!" Harry's little voice greeted him. Lily, James, and Sirius were sitting on the living room floor in a sea of scattered toys, playing with the baby.

"It's Uncle Moony, Harry, you're right. What a nice surprise!" Lily said with a smile, scooping up her son. Her smile wavered when she saw Remus' face.

"Remus?" James asked cautiously.

"He found me," Remus said, still incredulous.

"Who?" Sirius asked, reaching for his wand on the sofa.

"No, no, he's not here, I Apparated away as soon as I could, but… Greyback," Remus said. "Greyback found me."

"Oh, God," Lily said.

"Remus," James said, getting up.

"I'm fine," Remus said, shaking his head. "I'm fine, I just… I knew he was possessive and I knew he was territorial, but I didn't expect him to… to come find me."

James walked over to wrap his arms around Remus. Sirius wasn't far behind and Remus melted a little bit against them, shutting his eyes and exhaling briefly.

"Did he hurt you?" Sirius finally asked.

"No, no he didn't," Remus said.

"What did he want from you?" James asked finally.

"He said he came to claim me," Remus said hoarsely. "He said we were family and I could have a look at my shoulder if I didn't believe him."

"That's preposterous!" Lily said, getting to her feet with Harry propped up on one of her hips. "We're your family, not him."

Remus was dizzy.

"He… he remembered where he bit me," Remus said. "He knew it was my shoulder. He even pointed to the right one. How did he remember?"

"He did it on purpose, mate," Sirius said. "Maybe he… maybe that's why."

"I hate him," Remus said. As he spat out the words, he choked and Sirius and James went back to holding him.

"Me too," James said.

"I agree."

"Me three."

"Abadoob," Harry chimed in.

* * *

Remus wasn't a proud man—he knew he had a limited amount of things to be proud _of _anyways, but he had never had to do something more humiliating or uncomfortable than sit in the Department for the Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures and answer their lengthy and invasive questions as he was logged on the werewolf registry.

"And do you know the identity of the werewolf who turned you?" the attendant asked as she went through the ridiculous questionnaire that had grilled Remus on everything from his employment history to his romantic life.

"It was Fenrir Greyback," Remus said. "April 14th 1964."

"Greyback?" the attendant asked, her eyes rounding when she said it.

"Yes," Remus said. He couldn't imagine she needed him to spell it out for her.

She scribbled something in his file.

"Why?" Remus asked.

"It affects the safety rating you are given by the department," she explained.

"Safety rating?" he asked. "But I… that's… I've barely ever spoken to Greyback. What does he have to do with me?"

"But you have spoken to him before?" the attendant asked.

Remus walked out and found a bathroom to puke in.

* * *

"Wait," Remus said the second that Dora's lips slipped away from his. She pulled back but didn't go far, her nose only centimeters away from his.

"Are you okay?" she asked, not loosening the hold of her arms around his neck. He was distinctly aware of her legs wrapped around his hips as she straddled him, and he was still somewhat dizzy because he could taste her lip gloss on his lips.

"Yes, brilliant actually, but are we… are we going to have sex?" Remus asked, not sure how to phrase it any more nicely than that.

"I'd love to," Dora said with a wicked smile, lowering her lips to his again and twisting her hips in the absolute best way. Remus pulled back again and lowered his hands from where they rested at her waist and had been pulling her closer and closer only seconds ago.

"We don't have to," Dora said.

"No, it's not, I'd love to too, it's just…" Remus stopped and chewed on his lip. There was never an easy way to go about this. Even if the lights stayed off, his back could be read like a topographic map of injuries and moons and accidents and violence. It didn't always matter, but Dora… Dora was someone he wanted to see again. Dora wasn't someone he could spend a night with and slip away from.

"My back," Remus said. "Well, all of me, really—but my back is the worst part of… It has the scars from where I was attacked, but it can be… it can be shocking to see."

"Okay," Dora said, nodding.

Remus' breathing was ragged as he tried to think of what to do next.

"Do you… you should see before, that way you can decide if you want to go on," Remus said.

Dora looked hesitant but then she nodded and crawled off his lap. She pulled her legs to her chest as she sat on the bed and watched him. He stretched up and reached down for the edge of his jumper, which was already wrinkly from having fooled around. He pulled it off, showing her his back. The cool air of Grimmauld Place on his bare skin was slightly uncomfortable, as was Dora's gaze. He heard the mattress shift under her as she got up and he expected her to walk away—but then a pair of arms wrapped around his middle and Dora's forehead came to rest against his back.

"Remus?" she said.

"Yes?"

"We're going on," she told him simply.

* * *

He was sitting around the roaring fire with several other men—some his age, some younger, most of them just as shabby and beat up as Remus was. It wasn't quite like seeing his own reflection all around him, but there was something incredible about not sticking out. Dinner had long passed and most of the other men and women at the camp had gone to sleep. The children had been put to bed ages ago. But Remus didn't mind the fact that he was still up; the night air was cool, the stars were visible in the sky, and there was something comforting about sitting by something warm and shared to take it all in.

Remus was surprised when someone came to sit next to him, on the log he'd claimed. A hush fell on the other werewolves and it took everything in Remus not to squirm or pale or otherwise betray how uncomfortable he was next to Fenrir Greyback.

"Don't let me stop you from finishing that story, Weyland," Greyback said. He took a drink from the tin cup he'd brought with him, and Weyland continued his tale. Remus forced himself to react and laugh along with the others, for the sake of his cover.

As they were all laughing off the punchline, Greyback rose and clamped a hand on Remus' shoulder. His fingers rested where his teeth had left their mark over thirty years ago and Remus wanted to scream but stood still.

"It's good to have you, Remus," Greyback said. "I've waited a long time for you to join us. You've been with wizard kind for far too long."

The hairs on the back of Remus' neck stood up straight.

"I'm happy to be here," he said.

* * *

Bill had crumpled to the ground before Remus could even turn his wand towards Greyback.

"_Expelliarmus!" _Remus shouted. Greyback, being his own weapon, was thrown away from Bill. Still, the older werewolf staggered to his feet easily. He recognized Remus with slanted eyes and flashed his teeth, sharpened to points even in his human form.

"You dare raise a _wand_ to me," Greyback hissed. "A wand, as if you're a wizard like any other…"

"What did you do to him?" Remus asked, though he couldn't afford to take his eyes off of Greyback to assess Bill's condition.

"I gave you a family," Greyback bit. "I am giving you the only family that will ever _accept _you…"

"No," Remus said. "No, Greyback, you dole out pain and violence and use it to group together those you've harmed and keep them at your feet."

Greyback snarled.

"_Stupefy," _Remus said. Greyback dodged the spell and laughed, howling at the moon though the voice that poured from his mouth was entirely human. He looked at Remus with a wicked grin.

"Are you going to let me go or watch your friend bleed out?" Greyback asked. In the split second that Remus tore his gaze from Greyback to check on Bill, he vanished.

* * *

"Remus," Dora said. "Remus, I need you to say something."

Remus looked up to her. He was sitting on their bed and she was staring down at him. Her good mood had shattered when he hadn't reciprocated her excitement, and Remus felt guilty but mostly… well, he felt shattered too.

"I am not like Fenrir Greyback," Remus said.

Dora blinked. This was obviously not what she had thought he would say.

"What do you mean?" Dora asked quietly.

"I'm not in the business of making other werewolves," Remus said quietly.

"You're not in the… Remus I just told you I was pregnant," Dora said. "Merlin, I said '_say something_,' but say anything but that!"

But Remus didn't have anything else to say; he was numb now.

* * *

Remus didn't like his skin, but today it was needed—for once it was needed, no matter how beat up and damaged it was. So when he lay down next to Dora, he unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off so that she could lay Teddy on his chest. Skin to skin, his son's little heart beating just above Remus' own.

Teddy fell asleep against Remus nearly immediately, since he'd just had his first full meal. Remus felt his own breathing synchronize with the baby's deep and even breaths. Dora leaned her head against Remus' shoulder, watching Teddy sleep.

Remus had forgotten that very specific smell that new baby's skin had—that pure and sweet and indescribably clean smell. Not to mention that Teddy's skin was so soft, so gentle, so unblemished and unmarked…

"I can't believe he's here," Remus said quietly. "I can't believe how perfect he is. And he's… he's okay."

"He's okay," Dora said again. She was falling asleep against Remus' arm, and rightfully so after the marathon of a labour she had just had.

Andromeda came by a few minutes later to deliver the postpartum potion that Molly had brewed and stopped when she saw Remus. He was conscious of how bare his chest was and he knew exactly which of his scars Andromeda could see from where she was—but for once Remus didn't care.

Andromeda put the potion down next to Dora.

"I'll make sure she takes it when she wakes up," Remus said quietly.

"Thank you," Andromeda said. She smiled at Teddy. "He looks peaceful, with you."

Remus smiled at his mother-in-law. The words made him proud in a way he hadn't expected them to.

* * *

Parvati Patil hadn't been his student in years, but Remus knew how gently he had to pull her away from Lavender Brown's side. Sobs racked Parvati's body as she went limp in Remus' arms.

"Parvati, come with me," Remus said as gently as he could. "Parvati, let's go find Padma… let's go find Padma and get you to the Great Hall, where everyone is regrouping..."

"I can't leave her," Parvati sobbed. "Professor Lupin, I can't leave her… look at what happened when I left her…"

Lavender Brown's body told a gruesome story, laying in a sticky pool of her own blood. Her throat was torn and Greyback had gone after her arms too.

"Okay," Remus said. "Okay, Parvati, we won't leave her. We'll cover her up so that people remember her without her wounds and we'll carry her someplace safe; to the Great Hall. Then Madam Pomfrey can have a look at the cut by your eye. Okay?"

Parvati was still shaking in his arms, but she nodded.

"You can let me go," Parvati said quietly. "I promise I won't throw myself on her. But I could kill Fenrir fucking Greyback."

"Okay," Remus said, slowly releasing Parvati who, as promised, didn't crumple back down at her best friend's side. _Me too, _he could have added.

* * *

It was their first outing, all of them together, since the war had ended and even if they were just going out for ice cream, Remus couldn't help but feel nervous. Still, there had been no way they weren't going to go support Florean Fortescue's grand reopening once the ice cream maker had been found and rescued from a Muggle hospital where Death Eaters had dumped him.

They had picked a warm fall weekday to visit, when the rush of the back-to-school shopping was long gone. Diagon Alley was relatively calm and the sun shone generously on them as they sat at one of the tables outside the ice cream parlour, taking it all in. They had brought Andromeda with them too, since she could especially use an excuse for a nice day out as her first anniversary without Ted approached.

"It's too bad that babies shouldn't have ice cream before they're a year old," Dora commented as she finished off another spoonful of her ice cream—a vanilla bean ice cream with pieces of shortbread, blueberries, and a caramel drizzle on top. Remus wasn't quite as adventurous and had been more than content with a few scoops of Florean's signature triple chocolate bowl.

"He's missing out," Dora said, reaching out to poke at Teddy's foot. Teddy kept chewing on the toy they'd set him up with.

"It'll give us an excuse to come back," Remus said.

"As if either of you sweet tooths needed one," Andromeda replied. Dora snorted and Remus laughed. Teddy started acting up from his stroller, his cries whiny and short as if he were hungry. As if that weren't enough of a sign, Teddy's hair drifted to the same magenta's as his mother's—calling to her.

Dora put her ice cream down.

"I hear you, little man," Dora said leaning forwards to scoop him up. Remus passed her the canary yellow nursing cover stashed in Teddy's baby bag, under the stroller, and she got him set up for feeding.

"While we're here, I should stop by the potioneer's for more dittany," Andromeda said.

"I can go for you," Remus said. "I have to pick up a few things myself."

"Oh, it's no trouble Remus…"

"It's no trouble," Remus said. "Besides, we should get home to put Teddy down after he eats, and I've finished my ice cream. I'll just run over now."

He left them at the ice cream parlour and crossed the street to go swing by Antioche and Son's Apothecary. He made his errand quick, only haggling about half as much as he usually would, to cross the street and return.

"In a rush, are you?" someone said behind him as he crossed Diagon Alley again.

Remus turned around and paled when he recognized the cloaked figure that had called out to him. He quickly drew his wand and Fenrir Greyback smirked.

"Always with the wand, Lupin," Greyback said. "When will you learn your place?"

"I'm surprised you're showing yourself in public like this," Remus said. "You're a wanted man, Greyback. The Aurors have permission to jinx you on sight."

"The Aurors can come find me whenever they want," Greyback said with a smirk. "You and I both know they're afraid. Besides, some risks are worth taking. I heard about the happy news."

Remus' stomach tied itself in a knot.

"What news?" Remus asked quietly. Remus and a few other werewolves, including some former Greyback pack members, had launched legal action against the Ministry of Magic to repeal the werewolf registry, but that couldn't possibly be what Greyback was smiling like that about…

"Yours, Remus," Greyback said. "I heard about the little cub."

Remus' hand tightened around his wand. He realized, when he looked over his shoulder quickly, that Greyback's amber eyes were focused on Dora and Teddy.

"He's not a cub, he's a child," Remus said then.

"I didn't even know you had a mate, Remus."

"Don't call her that," Remus said again. "Don't call her that and walk away. Now."

Greyback smiled.

"You didn't think I'd be curious?" Greyback said. "You didn't think I'd care about our little family growing?"

"Stop it," Remus said.

"Because I am," Greyback said. "I heard he isn't a werewolf yet, your little one. But he could be the strongest of us all, I can tell by the scent of him. I'm sure he'd be just as delicious as you once were…"

Remus pointed his wand before Greyback could even register the twitch of his hand.

"_Avada Kedavra," _he said without a split second of hesitation or pause. No, Remus had had enough. If he had been a better man, perhaps Fenrir Greyback could have survived this encounter, but Remus carried enough marks for his son to deserve none.

And so the spell burst from his wand as violently and abruptly as it had spilled from Remus' lips, green light flashing in the alley.

There were some screams and some running as Fenrir Greyback toppled to the ground.

"Someone call the Aurors!" one of the shopkeepers screamed.

Remus dropped his wand and put his empty hands in the air, heart beating in his throat.

"Remus!"

When he looked up again, Dora had sprung into action—leaving a crying Teddy in Andromeda's arms and running to join him with her wand in hand, the top of her shirt remaining unbuttoned.

"Remus what did you do…" she asked, eyes wide, looking at the body on the ground. Greyback's amber eyes were frozen in the shock he'd felt after finally snapping Remus' patience and finding his limit.

"Nothing I won't be happy to answer for and nothing I can't defend," Remus said.

"Remus, is that—" She cast a spell around the body, encircling it with a protective blue shield that Aurors often cast on crime scenes.

"Remus…." Dora said.

"Nobody threatens my son," Remus interrupted. "Greyback can do his worst to me, and he happily has in the past. But nobody threatens my son."

* * *

**WC: **4821


	41. Any and All Questions

**Author's note: **This chapter has been lurking in my brain for a very long time, so I'm glad it's here now. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #4, Extinct Languages Task #1 Write about someone well known/famous in the Wizarding World and the effect that fame has on their life.

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**Any and All Questions**

He could hear the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs chattering away from down the hall. They were boisterous today and probably happy that Remus hadn't assigned any reading to them over the holidays. The pit of Remus' stomach felt like a rock quarry as he walked to his classroom, his book bag thrown over one shoulder and one hand stuck in his pocket, holding a letter that Dora had sent via owl that morning since she'd known what his lesson plan for today was—which was to say, nothing. _We love you. You've got this. -Dora and Teddy. _He'd memorized the note instantly.

"Hello, everyone," Remus said, walking into the classroom. A few students jumped down from the desks they'd been sitting on and chatty cliques broke apart as the fifth-years before him took their seats.

A few of the students shouted their hellos back but overwhelmingly, it was quiet as his students watched him. He only recognized some of the seventh year students from his last bout of teaching in the castle, but he felt recognition in the weight of their eyes on him. He had not been immune to the whispers in the Great Hall at the Feast last night, when McGonagall had introduced him. He put his bag down, found some chalk, and wrote his name on the board.

"I'm Professor Remus Lupin," he said. "I taught at Hogwarts many years ago and was invited back by Professor McGonagall after the war. I look forward to getting to know all of you."

He put the chalk down and turned back around so that he could sit on his desk.

"I have the notes from what you learned last year," Remus said. "However, I'm aware that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position was vacant and that you were sharing a professor with the Dublin Institute of Magic which, while Professor Morgana is admirable, was not ideal. I promise to do what I can to prepare you for your OWLS but please don't be afraid to slow me down at any point if I'm going too fast. Alright?"

A few students nodded, a handful scribbling some of his words on the parchment before him. Remus had found the lesson plans he'd drawn up when he had first been hired—first years learned how to recognize curses and cursed objects, second years learned protective magic and basic countercurses, third years learned about creatures and beings, fourth years learned about the history and regulation of dark magic, fifth years started dueling and prepared for OWLS, sixth years perfected dueling and learned more elaborate countercurses, while the seventh years prepared for NEWTS and discussed magical ethics. Dumbledore had been impressed with the curriculum all those years ago, and Dora had since endorsed his plans too—so he felt quite confident in them. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had quite sweetly bemoaned the fact that they'd only had him as a teacher for a year. But still, despite these plans he was going to be doing the same thing in his classes all week—at least for the first week of classes.

He looked around the classroom at the students looking back at him.

"Alright," Remus said. He got up again and moved back towards the blackboard as he spoke. "We're going to start today a little differently than our other classes because I want to give you a chance to ask any and all questions you may have—there won't be any stupid questions in this room."

He took the chalk and wrote the word on the board, circling it. _Werewolves._

"What do we as a class know about werewolves?" Remus asked.

A few of his students looked at each other nervously.

"Sir?" one of the students asked, putting her hand up.

"Yes," Remus said. "What's your name?"

"Margery Burbage, sir. You… you didn't assign any reading to us about werewolves," she pointed out.

"That's correct, thank you Margery," Remus said. "We can do some reading later if that interests some of you, but for now let's think about the things that you casually know or have simply heard."

There was quiet in the class again. Some of his students shifted nervously.

"I'll start," Remus offered. He scribbled his answer on the board. "Werewolves are classified, by the Ministry of Magic as Beasts with an XXXXX rating—putting them amongst the most dangerous batch."

He turned back to his students. A boy with floppy brown hair raised his hand.

"Your name?" Remus asked.

"Nicholas. Jeremy Nicholas."

"Thank you Jeremy," Remus said. "What can you add to the board?"

"Werewolves are monsters—well, they're people but they become monsters on the full moon," Jeremy said. "And they bite others so then those people become monsters too."

"Good," Remus said, scribbling down the answer. "10 points to Hufflepuff for speaking up first, Jeremy, thank you. Werewolves are human beings who, on the full moon, become something else. A bite from a werewolf will indeed transmit lycanthropy, which is what the condition is technically called. Do we know what that 'something else' is? What does a werwolf look like, once transformed?"

"Like… big," one of the Gryffindors said which elucidated some laughter.

"You aren't wrong," Remus said. He added it to the board. "The average werewolf is about seven feet tall if transformed and standing at full height, though that's quite rare."

"They're supposed to look like a wolf but the shape of the snout and the size and the muscles are different," one of the girls said quietly.

"Correct," Remus said. He wrote on the board; _appearance of wolf with some differences. _Remus paused. "What else?"

"Silver hurts them," a Gryffindor boy called out.

"Yes," Remus said. "Silver can be quite painful in the week before the full moon, let's add that. Keep adding things to the board, please, just shout things out."

Once he got his students going he could barely keep up with the note taking as he filled his classroom's blackboard.

"They've got twice as many teeth as human beings."

"The Ministry's got a list of them in case there's an uprising."

"They can smell you from over 10 kilometres away."

"The moon makes them lose all sense of right and wrong and they can't really control themselves."

"They were allied with Voldemort during the Wizarding War."

There was a hush that fell on the class after that last one.

Remus added it onto the board anyways, before going back to sit on his desk.

"I asked you to tell me what you knew because, as I expect many of you to know, I am a werewolf myself," Remus finally said. Some of them hadn't known and hid their shock with varying degrees of success "I am, actually, the first known werewolf to be awarded an Order of Merlin First Class although I have been publicly known to be a werewolf for several years now, even before the creation of the Werewolf Registry. I was bitten when I was four years old by another werewolf you may have heard of named Fenrir Greyback who was, in fact, allied with Voldemort during the Wizarding War."

The students looked at him curiously and uncomfortably. He had known that some of them would recognize his name from _The Prophet'_s various stories on him, since Rita Skeeter couldn't seem to write an article on the Wizarding War without mentioning his monthly endeavours. He had also known that some would assume that he must be a _different _Remus Lupin because why in the world would a werewolf be teaching at Hogwarts.

"While I'm at Hogwarts, I will be taking the Wolfsbane potion monthly to ease my transformations, meaning that I will not become a true werewolf on school grounds," Remus said. "Under the influence of Wolfsbane, which is an incredibly useful but incredibly rare potion, I pose no more danger than Professor McGonagall in her Animagus form. That being said, I understand that all the things that are on the board behind me are frightening things to hear or know. And so, before we do anything else this school year, I would like to offer you all a chance to ask any questions you have about werewolves and lycanthropy."

The classroom shifted a little bit as his students mulled over their options. Remus gave them a moment and then a girl with auburn braids who was taking notes with gel pens raised her hand.

"Yes," Remus said. "And your name, please."

"Aubrey McKonohay," she said. "Does it hurt to transform?"

The concern in her voice was rather unexpected and sweet. He suspected that she was a Muggleborn and perhaps had different ideas of what he might be. Still, it eased the tension in Remus' shoulders immediately.

"Yes," Remus said. "It is. Most of us need a few days after the full moon to recuperate and feel better."

Someone else raised his hand.

"Sean Molemba," the student said. "Is it true that werewolves like Greyback can change people even when they aren't in werewolf form?"

"Good question," Remus said. "The answer is no; though Greyback did everything he could to hurt as many people as possible while in human form with the specific intent of causing fear. He did hurt many people, but he did not transform them. You, in the back?"

"Myriam Shwartz," she said. "Is it true that werewolves have superhuman senses all the time?"

"No, that would be too convenient," Remus said with a smirk. "This is an extremely inconvenient condition. It is typically safe to assume that any possible advantage to it is false."

There was giggling in the room and Remus smiled too. He nodded to another student with a raised hand.

"Is your wife a werewolf?" the student asked. She seemed uncomfortable with the question instantly. "You… you're wearing a wedding band and she… she's in the paper..."

"Yes, I am married," Remus said. "But no, she isn't a werewolf. Just a very exceptional witch."

"If you have kids will they be werewolves too?"

"I do have a son," Remus said—glad that they had managed to keep Teddy out of the press enough for that question to exist. "He's two years old now and no, he isn't a werewolf. He would need to be bitten to become one."

"How many werewolves are there?" someone asked.

"_That _is another very good question whose answer we simply don't know," Remus said. "I know about fifty, personally, but the amount of stigma surrounding lycantrhopy means that many of us prefer to hide our condition—which creates other problems."

"Can Muggles become werewolves too?"

"They can, but they're more likely to die from their wounds than wizards, unfortunately," Remus said. "Like I said, it is very painful and quite traumatic."

"Have you ever bitten someone?"

"Thankfully, no," Remus said. "I'm very careful on full moons."

"Is there anything werewolfy that stays when you transform back to being a human?"

"No," Remus said. "Only injuries will carry over, which leads to some interesting scars and bruises."

"Do you remember what happens on a full moon the day after?"

"Some werewolves do, some werewolves don't," Remus said. "Experience seems to help, but they bring imperfect memories. It's like… well, I don't know how I'll explain it to the first years if they ask but some of you may have overindulged with alcohol and woken up the next morning remembering certain things that you made, unable to remember why you did them with that memory being your first experience of that moment. I see some nodding which I will ignore for the sake of a successful allegory."

"Is the sex thing true?"

Remus startled.

"What…" his mind blanked. "What sex thing? You know what, I'll assume because I don't know about it that no, it isn't."

There was some giggling.

"Are all the things on the board true?" Myriam asked.

"Not quite," Remus said. "Shall we go over them?"

"Yeah, that'd be good," Jeremy said.

"Alright," Remus said, sliding off his desk and circling back to the blackboard. "Which one should we start with?"

"Start with the thing about the ministry having a list," one boy with curly hair said. "Is that true?"

"Ah, the Werewolf Registry," Remus said. "Yes, there's certainly a lot to unpack there… do you want the long answer or the short one, everyone?"

He got a chorus of mixed answers so he crossed the item off the list and explained to them how extremely failable the list was because of stigma, among its many other problematic features. He'd been nervous about being in class again, but the words came to him easily and the students seemed genuinely curious. Remus was somewhat surprised when the bell rang and they ran out of time.

"Any homework for tomorrow, professor?" someone asked.

"Go sit by the Black Lake at some point," Remus told the class as he tapped his wand to the eraser so that it began scrubbing the blackboard. "It's beautiful outside. I'll see you all tomorrow."

And even if they unquestionably knew he was a werewolf now, none of them protested. They just said goodbye on their ways out the door.

* * *

**WC: 2189 **


	42. The First Moment of Peace

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** Canon character deaths alluded to; grief; critical injuries

* * *

**The First Moment of Peace **

It was 10:00 a.m. but Tonks had been aware for over 36 hours, give or take a few power naps while her son had been napping or in Remus' arms. She hadn't stopped moving since the battle had started—when she'd left Teddy with her mum and sent word to the Aurors in the department she still trusted to try and rally them to the castle too. She'd only run into Remus once during that time, when she'd seen him in the Great Hall after Voldemort had pulled back his force. They'd both been herding fighters back into a safe place and carrying in the dead and the injured. He had _not _been happy to see her but there had been too much to do more than ask about Teddy and tell her she shouldn't have come—which of course she knew she shouldn't have, but how could she have stayed home? How?

Her lack of sleep was starting to catch up to her now that the adrenaline of the battle had gone. She was at St. Mungo's now. They had sealed Hogwarts' grounds from intruders with protective charms for now—they'd have to figure out how to get the students their things later on, as they'd been sent home early for now. Repairing the castle was a project for even later. For now, there were too many injured and too many dead and too many Death Eaters who had vanished into the night for that to be their priority. She knew that she'd be called in to help track some of them down given her particular skillset and experience in long-term investigations eventually, but she'd been hit by falling debris and had needed to go to St. Mungo's herself to have a healer look at her head. An entire floor had been sealed off for those coming out of the Battle of Hogwarts, Order fighters, DA members, random participations, and Death Eaters alike. Tonks did not like that Rabastan Lestrange was shackled to a bed and having his leg mended a room away from where Remus was laying, stable but unconscious, but she kept that to herself. There were enough wands around that nobody would try anything. At least she had managed to blast Antonin Dolohov out of this world for what he'd done to her husband.

She had stumbled out of Remus' room to take a break—there were only so many dead loved ones and friends you could see in one day before watching your husband lay in pain became too much to bear. She found a waiting area in the hall with uncomfortable blue chairs and sat down, taking her weight off her feet for what felt like the first time in hours. Merlin, she was sore. Her abdomen was cramped and her chest ached, reminding her that she hadn't fed the baby in a hot minute. She supposed there was an argument to be made that charging into battle four weeks postpartum was a terrible idea, but she didn't want to bother any of the Healers running around the ward like maniacs for dittany at a time like this.

She leaned back in the chair and rested her head against the wall, trying to think of what to do next. She should check on Remus again. She should try to find Ginny, who had seen her brother die and her ex-boyfriend temporarily dead and who deserved to be checked in on. She'd sent word to Mum already by Patronus, but she should send her an update. Kingsley would surely have something to do, to put her to work…

Her eyes shot open again when she heard a familiar voice.

"Let me in! No, of course I wasn't fighting at the Battle, but my whole family is in there—I was a Healer for thirty years, I don't care about the visitor policy—_let me in!" _

She bounced to her feet _(owe owe owe) _and turned, wand raised, to the end of the hall. She saw a Healer trying to reason with her mother who was fighting to get past the door frame, looking absolutely unlike herself. Her greying curly hair was down, which it never was in public, and her cool composure was absolutely gone. She had a diaper bag thrown over her shoulder and she was holding something small and precious against her chest as she argued.

"Mum," Tonks said. The Healer turned around which gave Mum the window she needed to rush in past them.

"Nymphadora, oh thank Merlin!"

Tonks ran to her and wrapped her arms around her Mum, feeling Mum melt against her.

"You're okay," Mum kept repeating. "You're okay…"

"I'm okay, Mum, I promise. Just like I told you, I'm okay."

"I don't care that you sent a Patronus Nymphadora, I needed to see you for myself," Mum said.

Tonks let go of her Mum and peeled herself away so she could look at the little one curled up in her arms. Teddy was suckling on a pacifier that matched his wispy bubblegum pink hair. Possibly he had matched his hair to the pacifier. Or possibly he had been trying to match with her, calling for her, she thought with a pang of guilt. His eyes were bright sky blue and Mum had dressed him in the navy blue onesie covered in stars that Tonks loved.

"Hi sweetness," she said breathlessly. She picked up the baby from Mum's arms and kissed his forehead, feeling herself melt all over again. She hadn't left Teddy since he'd been born to do anything longer than take a shower. This was like holding him for the first time all over again. "Oh, hello baby boy… hello…"

She buried her nose in Teddy's hair, taking in the new baby smell.

"He slept well," Mum told her. "I had to run to the shops and get him formula, though, and he didn't like it…"

"That's alright," Tonks said, kissing the top of Teddy's little head.

"Where's Remus?" Mum asked.

"Room 117," Tonks sighed. "He's better, stable, but not woken up yet. They're still giving him a Blood-Replenishing Potion, but they… they think he'll wake up."

"Oh thank Merlin. I have to see him," Mum said decisively, putting the bag down.

"You… what?" Tonks asked, somewhat surprised. As she and Remus' relationship had settled down and grown steadier and throughout her pregnancy, Mum had stopped harbouring quite as much resentment or suspicion towards him—but this level of concern and protectiveness was still…

"Of course I do," Mum said, clucking her tongue. "You hold your son, I have to go see mine."

Tonks's eyes watered instantly. Fatigue definitely played a part but she was quite generally overwhelmed.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," Mum said, patting her arm again before dashing off.

Tonks took a deep breath and looked down at the baby in her arms, who was already starting to fall asleep—as infants did. She rocked him and gently kicked the diaper bag Mum had dumped so that it was tucked away under a chair, out of the way. When she looked up again she saw Harry, framed by Ron and Hermione and Ginny, ducking out of a hospital room. He had been visiting the injured all morning. When he made eye contact with her his eyes widened when he saw that she was holding a baby. She shot him a wink and his feet changed directions as he immediately came over.

"Wotcher," she said.

"Hey," Harry said. He looked about as exhausted as she did, although thankfully he'd managed to squeeze in a nap in Gryffindor Tower before they had locked the castle down. "How's Remus?"

"They say he'll be alright," Tonks said. "He's already looking much better than he did when they brought him in."

As much as Harry cared about Remus, his eyes were squarely fixed on Teddy. Ron looked a little shocked at the sight of a baby and Hermione held her hand over her mouth.

"I didn't think this was how you were going to meet your godson," Tonks said. "But this is Teddy."

"Neither did I," Harry said. "He's so… little."

Tonks smiled.

"He's bigger by the week," she said. "He's huge compared to what he started off as."

Harry still looked pretty stunned, as if after months on the run, multiple narrow escapes, an impossible heist at Gringotts, a battle, and a near-death experience this baby was what was going to break him.

"He's so cute," Ginny finally said.

"Thanks," Tonks said, which was the thing she'd learned to say even if she wasn't at all responsible for her son's looks given his Metamorphmagus status. Then again, maybe she was. She smiled as she looked down at Teddy, even if smiling felt exhausting. She looked up at Harry again. "Do you want to hold him?"

"Me?" Harry asked, blushing.

"Yes," Tonks said. "Well, you can all have a turn if you wash your hands, but you should definitely hold him."

"I… I've never held a baby before," Harry said.

"I'm sure you'll manage it," Tonks said. "Come, sit down."

The four of them eagerly sat down in the waiting areas, Hermione casting a quick _Scourgify _on everyone's hands before she sat down next to Ron. They sat a little closer together than they usually would and she decided to file that information away for later.

She gently lowered Teddy in Harry's waiting arms.

"Just watch his head," Tonks said. "Make sure to hold his head, there you are…"

She slipped her hands away when Harry had Teddy, and let him look down in shock at the slumbering baby he was holding. Ginny reached over to touch Teddy's tiny feet.

"Look at his toes, his toes are so small," she said.

"_All of him _is so small," Harry said, clearly overwhelmed. Tonks smiled and watched them, longing for Remus to be watching too. She felt guilty for that too; he wasn't gone. She hadn't lost him, not like others had been lost…

"Oh, goodness," she heard someone say behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Molly, who looked devastatingly pale and frail but whose eyes latched onto Teddy. "Oh, dear, is that..?"

"It's Teddy," Harry said looking up. "It's my godson."

"Oh, sweetheart…" Molly said. She wrapped her arms around Tonks _(owe owe owe). _"Oh, Tonks, he's beautiful."

"Thanks," she said again. "He's morphing right now, but sometimes when he's busy eating and isn't doing it he has his dad's eyes."

There were some general pleased cooing sounds when she said it and Molly patted her arm again.

A crowd became drawn to the baby—including Healers and student-aged witches and wizards that Tonks vaguely recognized but assumed were from the DA. Many of them were whispering around 'Professor Lupin's baby' which confirmed her hunch and was also so heartwarming, she would have to tell Remus when he woke up. Minerva McGonagall limped out of a hospital room, leaning on a cane, and seemed flabbergasted at the sight of Teddy. Kingsley saw the baby for the first time too, joining the crowd as he held an ice pack to his cheek. Sirius was there too, staying in the shape of a big black dog so that nobody would try to send him back to Azkaban at a time like this, curling up at Harry's feet.

Harry didn't let go of Teddy or look away anytime soon, and Tonks was tempted to slip away and go check on Remus again, but she was mesmerized by the scene before her. The Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One who had appeared before them dead hours earlier but had somehow lived on, holding a tiny newborn who had no idea what was going around him, surrounded by a crowd experiencing their first moment of quiet and peace in hours, days, weeks, or months.

Her mother slipped out of the hospital room and came to put an arm around her waist. She leaned her head against her mum and took a deep breath.

"Keep an eye on him," she said quietly. "I have to go tell Remus about this."

"He hasn't woken up yet," Mum said, her voice just as hushed.

"I know," Tonks said. "But hope is something worth waking up for."

* * *

**WC: 2047**


	43. Barely Even A Crime, Really

**Author's note: **I know I always default to 'illegal dragon egg smuggling ring' when I have to write about Tonks' Auror work, so let me put my money where my mouth is now. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**Barely Even a Crime, Really**

"Welcome home," Remus said, putting his book down and looking up from his spot on the couch, where he'd been bundled up and reading since putting Teddy to bed.

"Thanks," she said, hugging her bag close to her as she kicked off her shoes and closed the door behind her. "Teddy's asleep already?"

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you snuck in and kissed him goodnight, but yes, he's asleep," Remus said. "I saved you some dinner—your son decided that we should have bangers and mash."

"Thank you," she said. "Merlin, he's a wise one, our son. I'm sorry I'm home so late."

"That's okay," he said. "I knew you were undercover. How did it go?"

"It went fine," she said. She knew that strictly speaking, her spouse shouldn't be aware of when she was going undercover and shouldn't even know the blurry outlines of her work—but Remus had hidden his own lycanthrope from the world for over thirty years and had then kept the Order's secrets as close to his chest as Dumbledore himself, so really she thought that they were fine. Besides, she'd been trailing and chipping away at this exotic magical creature trading ring for so long now…

"Just fine?" Remus asked.

She hugged her bag to herself.

"Don't be mad," she said.

"Why would I be mad?" Remus asked.

"Oh, you won't be," she said. "Because I told you, well… Don't be mad but... I stole the dragon's egg."

"You did what?" Remus asked again. She reached into her bag and took out the egg, which weighed about the same as a bowling ball but had a more melon-like shape. It was covered in iridescent scales that locked together like chainmail.

"You… stole a dragon egg," Remus said matter-of-factly, his eyes on the proof.

"Not just _any _dragon egg," she said. "This is a French Opaleye! They were nearly hunted to extinction in the 1930s."

"Well in that case it's not even really stealing, is it?"

"Well… it is," she said. "But I had all the information and evidence I needed to bring back for us to conduct mass arrests tomorrow. I don't particularly care if they cancel tomorrow's auction."

"And now you have a dragon's egg in your purse," he recapped. "Dora, the private ownership and possession of a dragon's egg is illegal."

She clucked her tongue and waved him off.

"Please Remus, I'm an Auror. I have _some _wiggle room here."

"Isn't that corrupt?"

"But for a good cause," Tonks said. "Come on Remus, we met when I joined an insurgent anti-fascist organization against Ministry orders. Being an Auror requires _some _critical thinking skills."

"Of course it does," Remus said with a grin. "And a certain laissez-faire attitude insofar as modeling good, law-abiding behaviour to our child is concerned."

"Teddy will never know and this egg was going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder tomorrow—with absolutely no care or concern for the fact that it's got a living, breathing thing inside of it. It was being treated like an object!"

"Sometimes I forget that your childhood best friend is Charlie Weasley, and then sometimes it just smacks me in the face," Remus said.

Dora stuck out her tongue at him.

"Well, I'm about to call him if you want another reminder," she said. "I need some advice. The Department for the Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures was closed for the day and I couldn't exactly leave this egg in their dropoff box overnight, could I?"

"Oh good," Remus said. "So it lives with us now."

"Only for a little while," she said. "You're not really mad, are you?"

"Of course not," he said. "It usually works in my favour that you care so much about magical creatures and beasts being treated fairly."

"Well you can thank Charlie when we call him," she said.

* * *

**WC: **642


	44. It Takes Three to Dance

**Author's note: **I know I always default to 'illegal dragon egg smuggling ring' when I have to write about Tonks' Auror work, so let me put my money where my mouth is now. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**It Takes Three to Dance**

Remus let his hands slide down her back until they rested along her hips, smiling as Dora wrapped her arms around his neck. For today's occasion she'd changed her hair to a navy blue like the night sky, which had been Teddy's favourite colour when he'd been little. It went nicely with the grey two-piece cocktail dress she'd worn today. The greying strands in her hair that she hadn't bothered changing looked more silver than anything else—a look Remus wished he could pull off half as well.

"I can't believe you still check me out," Dora said, clucking her tongue. "Just buy a girl a drink, Remus."

"I believe I've kept your champagne flute adequately full tonight," Remus said.

"Mmm, you have," she mused happily. "Don't tell Teddy how tipsy I got on his wedding day—but Merlin, can you blame me? That's our little boy getting married, you know."

"I'm aware," Remus said, cracking a smile. He looked over her shoulder and saw Teddy and Victoire, feeding each other cake as they watched the dancers. Teddy's hair stood up in turquoise spikes and Victoire was wearing what he believed had been Fleur's wedding dress, her blonde hair curled for the occasion. He knew that they were both wearing matching sneakers and rainbow-striped socks too, which may have been his favourite part of this wedding—although dancing with Dora was nice too. There needed to be more occasions for slow-dancing in life. Maybe he should make more.

"Every time I think to myself _we've done something right with him, _he goes and does something else that makes me think _he's so good, that can't possibly be us," _Dora said.

Remus laughed and kissed her nose.

"There wasn't any way he could go _that _badly with you as his mother."

"His father's a rather good man too," Dora said. "One of my favourites."

Remus was going to respond when someone tugged on his pant leg. He looked down and saw Margo, looking positively adorable in her white flower girl dress and daisy crown. She had icing smudged so adorably on her face, Remus would let her get away with murder at the moment. Dora had often said it was a good thing they hadn't had a daughter—Remus had already been a big enough softee for Teddy as it was.

"Hello, you," he said with a smile. "Are you having fun?"

"I wanna dance with you and Granma," his granddaughter informed him.

"That can be arranged," Remus said, letting go of Dora to pick up Margo—another one of his favourite humans. He ignored the way his back protested and the ache in his hip as he balanced Margo there, her little legs dangling above the ground. Dora took one of Margo's little hands and kissed it before gently swaying from side to side. She put her other hand on Remus' shoulder and then the three of them were dancing again.

Margo put her little head against Remus' shoulders, probably exhausted by the day's excitement, and he saw Dora's face melt into a smile.

They were all doing something right.

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**WC: **515


	45. The World Caught Up

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**The World Caught Up **

Kingsley pinned the badge to the Auror robes she'd been told to wear to the occasion. It was a bronze badge showing two crossed wands over a hat and a Latin inscription whose meaning she probably should have known by virtue of being an Auror—oops. A purple ribbon striped with gold hung from the bottom of the medal. Once he was sure it was secure he looked up to her and smiled conspiratorially.

"Congratulations, Auror Tonks," he said so quietly that the crowd assembled in the Ministry's atrium probably didn't hear.

"Thank you, _Minister,_" she replied with a smirk—knowing that Kingsley was still getting used to the title he'd recently acquired in the election. She and Sirius had a ball using it.

He shook her hand and squeezed her fingers. They posed for the press and the crowd they stood before them applauded. She saw the flash of several _Daily Prophet _cameras going off and made an effort to smile and look ahead before turning to her mum, sitting in the first row with the baby bouncing on her lap, her eyes shimmering with tears. She'd been over the moon since the announcement had come that members of the Order of the Phoenix were being awarded Orders of Merlin by the Wizenmagot, whereas Tonks herself had been mostly stunned. It felt oxymoronic, given how every single thing she'd done as an Order member could technically be considered treasonous to the Auror Department—not that Tonks was complaining. She'd been ready to sacrifice her career and more from the moment Mad-Eye had brought her in, and it pained her that he wasn't here as well.

Kingsley let go of her hand and moved on to the next person in line, and Tonks turned and smiled. Remus looked like he was about to be sick, nervous as he was in big crowds and in the Ministry. She had convinced him to buy new robes for the occasion and he looked particularly handsome, dressed up in clothes that fit him well and whose colours hadn't faded. The worry lines on his face still stood out, as Kingsley pinned his medal and whispered his congratulations. Remus nodded anxiously and swallowed hard. And then, when Kingsley shook his hand, the crowd applauded and the cameras went off just as they had for her and every other person in the lineup. Remus' shoulders relaxed when they did and he seemed… well, genuinely surprised that there were no qualms, no interruptions, no protests or silences about a werewolf being awarded the Order of Merlin. He was the first one. Rita Skeeter, among others, had had things to say about it but nobody was speaking ill now.

She joined the crowd in applause and beamed as she watched him smile timidly for the cameras, testing the waters to see if any prejudice would burst through. None did. When Kingsley moved on down the line, she reached out and took his hand. He shuffled a little closer to him.

"I told you it would be fine," she whispered as Kingsley pinned a badge on Hestia Jones' chest.

"You know how impossible it is for me to be sure about these things," he said.

"I know," she said simply. "But I was sure that the world would catch up to me and see what kind of a man you really were."

Her heart melted some more when he smiled, tears welling up in his eyes.

* * *

**WC: **574


	46. A Losing Bet

**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

**Warnings:** NA

* * *

**Losing Bet **

"Is that your boy?" Slughorn leaned over and asked as the first years pooled into the Great Hall. He was pointing to Teddy, who would stand out even if Remus hadn't spent the past ten-or-so years showing pictures of him to anybody who would ask. His hair stuck up in tufs of his favourite turquoise as he wandered into the hall, sharply contrasting with the sea of black made up of his classmates.

Remus nodded and smiled as he watched the first years settle in, looking as shifty and nervous as ever. Sinistra, McGonagall's deputy headmistress, got them all settled and lined up before the Sorting Hat. Remus gave Teddy a wink when his son's eyes tentatively met his and Teddy blushed and looked away.

"How much like his mother is he?" Flitwick asked from Remus' right. "Are we in trouble?"

"Well, he might be just enough like me to hide the trouble he makes," Remus said. His fellow staff members did not seem encouraged.

They hushed for the hat's song—which Remus thought had cleverer rhymes than last year's—and then the sorting began. Teddy was in the middle of the pack and Remus tried not to perk up or look extra interested when his name was called out, but he _was _curious...

"Edward Lupin," Sinistra called, reading from her list.

Teddy made his way to the stool and Remus shifted in his seat, stomach knotted. Sinistra lowered the raggedy hat on his head and a beat passed as the hat deliberatorated.

"Hufflepuff!" it finally cried.

There was a roar of applause from the Hufflepuff table and polite clapping from across the hall. Remus bit back a cuss and joined in. He wasn't sure whether to feel happy or sad that Teddy hopped off the school and went to his new house without giving him a second look. Not that Remus didn't understand; they'd talked about being professional at school. Besides, Teddy didn't want to be _the teacher's kid _and Remus didn't want him to be either. He was at Hogwarts now; Teddy would start making his own way in the world. Still, it was going to be a strange year—having Teddy so close but with a distance between them now…

"Disappointed not to have a Gryffindor on your hands?" Slughorn asked.

"Only because I owe his mother money now," Remus replied.

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**WC: **391


End file.
